Kayla Trainor, 38, had spent 17 years working in an admin office role before the road came calling.
As she explained, “I got sick of sitting in an office, so I thought why not travel the country and get paid to do it at the same time.”
Being raised on a dairy farm, Kayla had already developed a love for trucks early on. She got her MR licence over 15 years ago, but life steered her on a different path.
When she decided to take the plunge and get behind the wheel, things progressed very quickly. “At the time – back in 2021 – I was working as a stock controller at a car dealership. I went and got my HC licence and quit my job the next day.”
With no work yet lined up, Kayla literally went door knocking at various transport businesses in the hope one would take her on – and her efforts paid off.
Kayla’s first driving role was with Toowoomba Confectionary Wholesalers, driving medium and heavy rigids. “I got some experience there, driving the smaller trucks. Then I went to Emerald Refrigerated, who took me on as a HC driver. At first I was doing local work around Brisbane to Toowoomba, and then I got into the longer distance work.”
It was while at Emerald Refrigerated that Kayla secured her MC licence – giving her the chance to realise her dream of travelling and seeing Australia.
“I started doing the Brisbane to Perth run every week. That was pretty hard work as I was never home – but that was my goal, to get into the long distance work to see the country.”
From there, Kayla began working at Mort & Co, carrying molasses and feedlot supplements. It was all tanker work, travelling all over Queensland and northern New South Wales, which gave her the chance to broaden her skillset even further.
But securing a role at Mt Isa Carriers in September 2023 set the wheels in motion for her next big career move.
Based at the company’s Pittsworth depot, Kayla started there doing triples from Pittsworth to Mt Isa, carrying general freight. Family owned and operated, Mt Isa Carriers has a fleet of 28 trucks – mainly Mack Super-Liners – which operate from its four depots in Pittsworth, Brisbane, Mt Isa and Townsville.
“I started at Mt Isa Carriers in a 909 and then about a month later was in a Mack Super-Liner. I would travel all over Queensland and loved going out west. It was a different atmosphere out that way. People are really respectful around there and everyone actually waves to each other,” Kayla said.
Though she was only driving with the company for about four months, when an opportunity came knocking, she was quick to pursue it.
As Kayla revealed, “I knew I wouldn’t be able to work as a driver forever, so the next step for me was to get into the operations side of it. At the time, the operations manager was leaving so I put my hand up and took on the operations manager role in February.
“I learned everything from the owners about what they expect and what to do. Everyday I’d get taught something new.”
Asked about what her typical day with the company involves, Kayla says she’s tasked with organising the drivers and their runs, organising maintenance and NHVR requirements, visiting all four depots, and being heavily involved in all aspects of the day to day running of the company.
“Sometimes I think people get the impression that because I sit behind a desk I haven’t done the work, but I have, so that’s a big advantage,” Kayla added. “My original goal when I got into this industry was to see the country and I’ve been all over – but haven’t been to the Northern Territory. I don’t think I’ve ruled that out just yet though.”
Mt Isa Carriers is currently owned and operated by husband and wife team Kent and Cassy Baillie. It was originally started in 1965 by family friend Graham Porter.
In chatting with Kent, he had high praise for Kayla and her work ethic.
“Kayla was one of the best drivers we had and now as operations manager, she’s my 2IC (second-in-charge). She looks after everything and is very thorough in everything she does,” he said.
Though Kent also admitted, “Part of me didn’t want to pull her off the road because she was just so good at her work. There are a lot women out there in this industry who are running rings around some of the blokes. We also have another female driver doing triples from Townsville to Mt Isa. It’s sad that parts of the industry are still lagging behind.
He continued, “Across the industry, we’re losing more drivers than we have coming in, so I’m all for giving more women and more young drivers a go.
“We’re also in touch with several driving schools as we like to give young people a chance. We have one driver who started out on the rigids and now he’s worked his way up to triples between Mt Isa and Darwin.
“We’ve been very lucky with the calibre of drivers we’ve been attracting.”
And for Kayla, Mt Isa Carriers has been the perfect fit.
“I really enjoy the work at Mt Isa Carriers – and I enjoy the people I work with. You gain a lot of respect from drivers too, because they know you’ve been there and done the work too,” she said.
When asked if she ever misses being on the road, Kayla replied, “Yeah I do sometimes, so if we ever purchase a new truck, I’ll happily race down and pick it up so I can drive it back!”
She also offered her advice to those considering a career in the industry. “I encourage young drivers, and females into the industry. Don’t take the knock-backs personally and keep trying. You will get told no – but keep applying.”