After 15 years of running her own successful cleaning business, Rhiannon Cooper was looking for something more.
That’s when her truckie partner Marty Rivett jokingly dared her to get her truck licence. Not being one to shy away from a challenge, she did just that.
Based in Adelaide, Rhiannon is a mother of two teenagers, aged 17 and 18. She was wanting to change careers but also needed something that provided flexibility too.
“As well as cleaning houses and running my business, I was volunteering at my footy club – so flexibility was the deciding factor on which career would best suit my busy life,” she told Big Rigs.
“I play football, I’m a medic and secretary of the club. It’s all volunteer work but is basically a full time job. I was actually looking for something that complemented being able to continue do that and be there for my kids.
“Once the kids hit their teens, my partner took me out in his truck and began showing me the ropes.”
Rhiannon enrolled in a TILE (Training in Lieu of Experience) course, which she completed with Courtesy Driving School and was able to secure her HC licence in 2022.
“They said there are too many people dying on our roads, so we won’t give you a licence until we know you can do everything,” explained Rhiannon. “And I value the fact that they were like that and were committed to teaching people the right way.
“I did the TILE course and Marty took me for a few drives in his truck. I’m now a few years in and I’ve never looked back. I absolutely love being on the road and I love my current job.”
Shortly after securing her licence, Rhiannon got her first truck driving job with Giannopoulos Transport (GT), located in the suburb of Wingfield.
Specialising in scrap metal transport since 1974, the company operates across South Australia, contracting to numerous major waste companies.
“GT has been really great and were willing to take me on knowing I had no experience. They worked with me. All of my co-workers have been fantastic, especially my transport manager Anna,” said Rhiannon.
“I would put a lot of what I’ve done and learnt down to her patience. I’ve been able to call her and she’s the voice of reason when I’ve needed it. She’s definitely been the reason I’ve excelled at what I’m doing.”
Rhiannon’s also not afraid to get her hands dirty either. “At 10am this morning I was completely covered in oil, so it’s a bit of a messy one,” she laughed.
From behind the wheel of an Iveco Powerstar 550, Rhiannon travels across the state doing predominantly tautliner and flat top work, along with some tipper work where needed.
“We go all over South Australia picking up scrap metal and we also deliver scrap metal to the ports. A lot of our drivers run tippers out of the scrap yards and into major metal dealers,” Rhiannon explained.
“About 90 per cent of my work is the tautliner or flat top work. As hard as the flat top stuff is, and it’s usually really physical with the chains and whatnot, I really enjoy that work. I like having to work out the weights and load distribution.”
Rhiannon also recently got her dangerous goods licence, which sees her doing a lot of work transporting batteries for recycling.
“A battery recycler recently opened up here in Adelaide, so we pick up batteries and bring them to the plant. It has been a learning curve for us and for the scrap yards in terms of the bulk transport of batteries. It’s not something we’ve ever had here before,” explained Rhiannon.
“Before you had to pay to get rid of batteries, now they’re paying people by the kilo for used batteries. At the new Lions Gate facility, about 8000 tonne of scrap batteries have come out of people’s homes and businesses in the last 12 months.
“The used batteries go into a machine, then the acid goes into silos and is neutralised, the lead gets shipped to China, and the plastic gets recycled.
“Because I’m the only one with a dangerous goods licence I’m usually pretty flat out running the used batteries. I cart up to 100 tonnes of used batteries a day sometimes.”
Though she added that every day is different. “I go wherever the work takes me.”
More than three years into the job, Rhiannon says one of her biggest highlights to date was seeing the look on a little girl’s face when she saw her behind the wheel. “I was stopped at a zebra crossing in front of a school and this little girl – who would’ve been three or four years old – looked up and was so excited to see a female driver. I saw her mouth the words, ‘It’s a lady in the truck’. She had the biggest smile on her face and was waving at me. She was so excited which was pretty cool to see.”
Looking ahead, Rhiannon says she’s now got her sights set on going for her MC licence. Though she reiterated, she has no plans to move any time soon. “I’m not sure where it will take me but for now I’m content with all the different things I get to do at GT – no two weeks are ever the same!”
She also had high praise for her partner. “Marty’s been a massive support for me and his continuous push and encouragement means the world to me. With both of us on the road, it is challenging to fit life in, but we make it work. He’s away doing interstate and I’m on the road too, so there are challenges with being a trucking family. But as busy as we are, I wouldn’t change a thing.”