Trucking is often a family affair – but it’s not every day you see twin truckies with related rigs.
Identical twins Aaron and Daniel Fuller from Sydney both recently took the plunge and became owner drivers, hitting the road in two cobalt blue Kenworth trucks that originally came from the same fleet.
Daniel was the first of the brothers to purchase his own prime mover, a 1996 model T601, in January 2023, with Aaron following suit with a 1994 model T600 at the end of the year.
The twins had both been truckies for years before that, and Aaron said that they were so close growing up that it’s not surprising that they have followed the same path.
“For most of our lives, my brother and I were basically joined at the hip,” he told Big Rigs.
“We did everything together, went everywhere together – we even used to work together in a number of places when we were younger, driving and in warehouses.”
Trucking is all the twins have ever known – their grandfathers on both sides of their family were both truckies, and their father was also an owner driver.
“We have so many memories from our childhoods, of helping dad service the truck, grease the truck, wash the truck, you name it,” Aaron said.
“Owning our own trucks has always been a dream for both of us. The apple never falls far from the tree!”
Both twins said they wish they went out on their own earlier, with Aaron crediting his brother for pushing him to finally go for it after years of hesitation.
“I just kept making excuses – it never felt like the right time,” he said.
“I knew of my truck before it came up for sale, and as soon as the ad went up online, Daniel messaged me.
“He said ‘There’s your truck – stop thinking about it and just do it.’
“He’s definitely been a factor in getting me where I am now.”
Both twins have young families, so leaving stable jobs to dive into the unknown wasn’t easy.
Daniel has two little girls – a four-year-old and six-month-old – while Aaron has a two-year-old son, with another baby arriving any day now.
Aaron, who worked for Hypro before he became his own boss, admitted he was nervous about quitting.
“Leaving a reliable job with a consistent income every week, making very good money, to go out on my own just before Christmas probably wasn’t the best way to go about it,” he said.
“But when an opportunity presents itself, you just have to take it.”
Thankfully, he’s been as busy as ever since setting up his own business.
“I’ve been subcontracting for one bloke, just doing general freight around Sydney, out to Bathurst and up to Newcastle,” he said.
“His business is absolutely flat out, there’s just not enough hours in the day for them to be able to do the work that they have.
“So I’ve been really busy, and it’s been great. It’s worked out very well for me so far.”
Daniel said he was messed around a bit at the start, but now has a consistent income subcontracting for several businesses in Sydney.
“I had work lined up when I bought the truck but it fell through, as it often does in this industry – there were plenty of broken promises,” he said.
“I was on pretty good money with my old job at JK Williams in Penrith so I just stayed until the right time came.
“Now I do a few jobs with a curtain sider for different people, but I predominantly subbie for one bloke, doing flat-top work.
“It all just fell into place.”
Both Daniel and Aaron love the freedom of being owner drivers.
“When I take a break from driving to stretch my legs and get a bottle of water, I see my truck in the distance and I’m like ‘Wow. That’s my truck!’” said Aaron.
“It’s a surreal feeling. I was a driver for nine years before this, and now it’s like I’ve won the trophy at the end of the season.”
Aaron added: “You can do your own thing, and every day is interesting.
“It’s hard to put into words, but there’s definitely that sense of achievement.”
While Daniel admitted there was a “steep learning curve” when he first became an owner driver, he was happy to pass the lessons he learned on to his brother.
Aaron laughed: “I don’t really want to repeat what he told me, there were some explicit words in there.
“Nah, he told me to just f**king do it, start working and just do what I can, when I can.
“And he’s given me advice for talking to businesses, setting payment terms, and when to say no.
“Because he’s been burned before, he’s taught me the importance of being really up-front and communicating exactly what you want.”
The twins know that even though they have finally achieved their dream of owning their own trucks, that doesn’t mean they can rest on their laurels.
“The world doesn’t stop now, it only gets harder!” said Aaron.
Daniel agreed: “Now that I’m an owner driver I think back to when I didn’t have so much responsibility, and sometimes I wish I could just have an easy day!
“It’s a blessing and a curse. But I love it.”