Moving from Perth to Tassie, from tippers to curtainsiders and from an owner operator to working for a company, Steven Linturn sure knows how to switch things up and keep them interesting.
Passing through Kempton the other day, Big Rigs was fortunate to catch up with Linturn from when he rolled into 24-hour Caltex Truckstop Mood Food.
He was driving an eye-catching 2018 model Transmo UD PD 24280 rigid 14 pallet curtainsider and was on his return leg from Hobart to Legana with general freight.
“They have been keeping us surprisingly busy,” he told us, “which is good as I like being busy. I thought Covid-19 would knock the freight back, but it has pretty well just kept on going. If anything we seem to be even busier and with Christmas coming up that is all good. I have been here for about a year now, and would have to say they are a great outfit to work for, great gear, like look at this truck, and we work pretty well statewide, from Smithton to Launceston to Hobart and pretty well everywhere in between so there is always a lot of variety which keeps life interesting and me happy.
“I started out as an owner driver about 20 years ago, mainly with tippers. It has been an interesting transformation to working for a boss, but a good one, nice to have regular work and not the same anxieties as chasing work and money to survive.”
We asked Linturn how he spends his time off, and he said that apart from maintenance, he has a small business with mini jeeps that he takes to carnivals. “Covid has really knocked the carnival industry in a big way, but I have just got a couple of bookings coming up for an event at Scottsdale. All up you could say I love my job, the truck and am happy with life all round.”