Veteran owner-operator Trevor Tarrant was transporting sheep in a 2000 Iveco Powerstar when Big Rigs yarned to him recently.
The 67-year-old had climbed up one side of his trailer to check on the sheep.
“I picked up 431 sheep from farms around Guyra for delivery to the Tamworth Abattoirs,” he said.
He does the driving and his wife Deirdre takes care of the bookwork and administration side of the business, which is called TC&DA Tarrant.
“I have been a driver for 47 years and the first truck I drove was an International Butterbox. My dad Herb owned it,” he said.
The rising cost of fuel is a major concern for the road transport industry and I asked Tarrant how it had affected him.
“The extra costs have been considerable but fortunately I have long time valued clients who accept an increased rate,” he said.
Tarrant added that the main highways he gets along, such as the New England, are in general good condition.
“Some of the ones into rural farms are a bit rough but that can be expected,” he said.
His favourite roadhouses are the BP Black Mountain and Ampol Guyra near where he lives.
Tarrant has never had Covid-19, which surprises him. “Because I have come into contact with a lot of people,” he said
When I first met him I offered Tarrant a contact card but he didn’t require one.
“I read Big Rigs all the time and have seen your pic in it,” he said.
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