Josh Rigney had hauled pallets from Kapunda in South Australia to Townsville when he stopped to have a yarn with Big Rigs.
The 35-year-old was parked with numerous other trucks on the pull off area beside the Townsville Port Access Road.
“I have a backload of sorghum to pick up from Townsville to deliver to Plainlands,” said Rigney, adding that the 2013 Kenworth T909 he was driving is a great truck.
Based in southern Queensland, Rigney works for CJ’s Bulk Haulage and loves life on the highway.
Rigney is not a fan of electronic logbooks and when away likes stopping at the Shell Gilgandra, BP Blanchetown on SA’s Sturt Highway and the Nevertire Hotel beside the Mitchell Highway in NSW.
He rates the Leichhardt Highway between Moonie and Condamine and the mostly dirt road from Aramac to Torrens Creek as difficult to travel on.
Whilst Rigney said more rest areas are required for truckies, he added that some along back roads are good.
“There are some on the Roma to Surat stretch and the one at Dirranbandi is fine,” he said.
There is some impressive artwork on the side of the Kenworth with the subject being the Isle of Man in the Mother Country.
“That came about because my boss’ dad is English,” he said.
The first truck Rigney drove was a Louisville LNT 8000 with a V8.
While Rigney doesn’t like making New Year’s resolutions, he did repent and said he would like to quit smoking.
“I managed to do that a few years ago but never kept it up.”