Victorian owner-operator Mark Young had five different border passes in the cabin of his Kenworth 904 when Big Rigs saw him deep in the tropics of north Queensland.
Based in the Victorian town of Edi Upper, the 48-year-old’s company is called Kelmare Transport Pty Ltd. Young does plenty of road train work, which requires interstate deliveries.
“I have come up from Melbourne with general freight including gas bottles and have to pick up a boat and tractor to take back to Frankston. I have border permits to enter South Australia, NSW, Queensland, the NT and Victoria,” Young said.
He has been an owner-operator for 12 years and likes the Kenworth which is powered by a C-16 600hp motor and with an 18-speed gearbox.
Young said he doesn’t eat that much at roadhouses, stopping mostly to fuel up. “I stock up on food in the truck fridge and enjoy steak and eggs using my gas cooker.”
There are several roads which Young doesn’t enjoy travelling on and these include the one between Miles and Moonie in Queensland.
“The other rough one is either side of Walgett in NSW for about 40km,” he said.
As for rest areas, Young said Queensland could do with some more for truckies which is an opinion shared by many other drivers.
The first truck Young drove was an early 1980s Kenworth SAR. Outside work he likes hunting for deer in north east Victoria.
A passionate sports fan, Young barracks for the Geelong Cats in the AFL and the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.