For miner turned truckie, Philip Church, the freedom of Tassie’s wide open roads, coupled with its picturesque scenery, have proven to be a winning combination.
Big Rigs caught up with Church at Mood Food, a convenient 24-hour truckstop on the Midland Highway near Kempton. He was driving a 2016 85.460 DAF and towing a single tautliner loaded with general freight from Hobart, on his way north.
Originally from Invercargill, at the southerly end of New Zealand’s South Island. Church moved to Devonport, Tasmania with his family and now drives for ZAN Haulage.
“This is only my second day here with Zan, but so far I would have to say it all looks optimistic, the outfit seem great, the DAF is comfortable, the job seems good, and I am liking it fine. Previously I was driving B-doubles and the single trailer feels unique just now,” he says.
Church used to be a miner in Rosebery, on Tassie’s west coast. But after an accident, he decided it was time for a change of pace – and so he turned to trucks. “That’s when I decided to give driving a go, and so far I am really enjoying it, taking one day at a time, enjoying the freedom and especially seeing all sorts of places all over Tasmania,” he says.
Asked about what he enjoys doing during his time off, he says he takes every opportunity to go trout fishing up in the Great Lakes, “Just love it up there, the fishing, the peace and serenity, as well as catching a good fish or two.”