It was great to catch up with our esteemed old mate, Robert Wade from Nubeena while he was at Kempton.
He was driving his always immaculate 2007 Western Star Constellation 4800, with a 550 C-15 Cat up front and towing a tri-axle loaded trailer from Hobart to Bell Bay, before returning home and knocking off for the day.
He has had the Star since brand new and it now has 1.4 million on the clock, and is still a good reliable truck.
“I have been an owner driver now for 42 years,” he told us, “though it was originally the family business, and although we took a bit of a hit early on with the lockdown, and business has taken a considerable hit down here, we are still soldiering on and keeping our head above water.
“The new year has started off well for us so far though, now we just have to see what the year ahead has in store for us all, but hopefully it will be a bit less traumatic than 2020.”
We asked him about how he spends his time off, and that drew a bit of a laugh. “Well after the maintenance and bookwork, I enjoy a bit of work in the garden and try to take it easy when I can. But seriously, it’s all good just now, and we’re feeling a bit confident and hoping the industry in general is going to pick up. And best wishes to everyone out on the road now as well.”