Lachy Towney, 22, says he always had an interest in trucks – sparked by trips in the passenger seat with his father, from a young age.
Despite that though, he was originally headed for a different career path. “I was gunning to be a chef and started my apprenticeship at 15. Then Covid hit and it killed hospitality. That’s when I got into driving,” said the Brisbane based truckie, who’s gradually worked his way up from driving utes and vans, to now driving semis.
“I started out delivering meat across Brisbane and the Gold Coast in a van, then moved to a light rigid, which I did for about a year and a half, before moving into a medium rigid for about 12 months. I went from my MR to my HC licence and that’s when I started looking for work doing that,” explained Lachy.
And it was Wacol-based KS Easter that answered his call, offering Lachy the opportunity to undergo further training and work his way into the bigger rigs.
“I started with KS Easter on November 4 last year. I had my HC licence but hadn’t driven HC besides for my test, so they were very helpful and understanding when it came to teaching me slowly,” explained Lachy.
His first role with the company was driving a heavy rigid on the 440-kilometre run each way from Brisbane to Macksville, New South Wales, overnight.
“They wanted me to do that for a while until they were confident and happy in my abilities with the HR work. After about six or seven months, they started slowly easing me into the semis,” said Lachy.
“I spent about two weeks in the passenger seat, with experienced drivers, showing me the basics like hooking up and unhooking, and basically showing me everything I needed to look out for. Then I drove for two weeks with an experienced driver travelling with me. After that, I went out with their driver trainer who assessed my driving skills, to make sure they were confident with me going out on my own.
“The way KS Easter have trained me up is absolutely amazing. In the beginning, like most people my age, I wanted to drive the big trucks straight away, but when they got me into the semi, I understood why they wanted to properly train me first, because it’s a lot different to being in a rigid.”
Once Lachy was handed the keys to a prime mover, he began with local Brisbane jobs, eventually progressing to his current role, into Kempsey, New South Wales. Roughly 500 kilometres each way, a one-way trip takes around 5.5 hours to complete.
“I do the changeover at Kempsey in a single trailer. So I get to drive a big truck and get out on the highway. They haven’t got me going all the way to Sydney yet, but that’s the eventual plan,” he said.
“At the moment, because I’m still new and still learning, I’m changing between trucks, so I’m gaining knowledge of driving Volvos, Kenworths and Western Stars. I’ve driven the newer trucks and even a 2003 Kenworth that’s as old as me!
“It’s been a fun experience, getting to drive and learn in all these different trucks.”
While happy to continue driving and increasing his skills in the semi, Lachy will soon be eligible to go for his MC. “I do plan on upgrading to my MC and KS Easter is helping me work towards that.”
As Easter Group operates everything from rigids through to B-triples, Lachy is hopeful he can stay with the company for the long haul, eventually working his way through the driving ranks. “KS Easter’s training and how they help their staff is awesome. They are so supportive and understanding when it comes to young drivers like myself,” added Lachy.
“I’m hoping I get to one day work my way up to doing B-doubles down to Melbourne, and maybe eventually getting into the triples with Easters too. My ultimate goal is to one day own my own truck.”
Lachy’s advice to other young drivers is, don’t knock it until you try it.
“You hear a lot of people talking about how bad the industry is and how they’re targeting drivers, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. I’ve been really enjoying it and having a great time,” he said.
“The other thing when it comes to this industry is: take your time. Too many people get into accidents because they have so little experience. I started out driving vans and utes and worked my way up to a semi. Yes, it took me a few years to get here but it means I’m confident in my driving and confident out on the road.”