Outback cattle carter taking new drivers under her wing

Kattie Risk got into truck driving almost 16 years ago, working her way into the quads.
Image: Kattie Risk

From achieving her dream of driving quad livestock road trains, Kattie Risk now has her sights set on helping to train up the next generation – the right way.

It’s been quite the wild ride for Kattie Risk, 38, since she first made her move into trucking nearly 16 years ago.

Starting out as a bus driver in her early 20s, Kattie soon moved into trucking and worked her way up through the ranks. Though cattle transport has been her mainstay, Kattie has worked across various areas in the industry – and once even transported crocodiles from Darwin to Queensland.

As a mother of two boys – Luke, 17, and Lewis, 10 – and proud indigenous woman from Larrakia country, the traditional owners of the Darwin region, Kattie is passionate about training and mentoring young people wanting to get into the trucking industry.

In March, she launched Billirrawarra Trucking & Training. The word ‘Billirrawarra’ comes from the Larrakia language and means black cockatoo.

Kattie with husband Nic Risk, who is also a truckie. Image: Kattie Risk

The move will see Kattie divide her time between being on the road, and training, assessing and mentoring people as they enter the world of transport.

While the company is based in the Northern Territory, Kattie is also spending a great deal of time in South Australia, as she works to bring her dream to fruition.

Through Billirrawarra, Kattie is focussed on creating training and mentoring pathways for new entrants to the transport industry.

“It’s been a massive evolution, from being a driver passionate about the road to building a company that’s helping others find their own way into the industry,” Kattie said.

“Currently the training and assessing aspect of our industry has a lot of issues, and there’s definitely a gap, particularly around quality and safety training. I set out to launch a company that delivers high quality training and assessing, while being safety focused.”

Kattie has developed the ‘Guided Roads: Driving Futures’ program, due to be launched in early 2026. “It is a structured, cohort-based initiative designed to support entry-level drivers from licensing through to long-term mentoring and employment,” she said.

She’s done everything from livestock to tippers and low loaders. Image: Kattie Risk

“It will look at how we can integrate heavy vehicle driving and assessing into a long -term career pathway that provides ongoing mentoring and support, rather than just your regular six-week program.”

Her ultimate goal as she grows her business is to eventually be able to hire young drivers as they complete their training, so she can give them a foot in the door and continue to mentor them through the early stages of their truck driving career. For any new driver coming into the industry, Kattie says training them up the right way, from the beginning, is crucial.

“It’s about setting the right foundations. If you do that properly the first time, it means you’re not having to break any bad habits. Training is there to set people up for success.”

Recently, Kattie has also been working the harvest. Image: Kattie Risk

When it comes to driver training, Kattie believes that one of the biggest issues the industry faces relates to the legislation, which requires people to complete minimal hours to meet certain criteria, before being able to sit for their various heavy vehcicle licences.

“I do believe that more training is needed. And when drivers want to upgrade to a higher class of licence, they should have to prove that they’ve actually worked with their current licence for a certain amount of hours. It shouldn’t just be based on how long you’ve had the licence,” Kattie added.

“Unfortunately, trucking companies don’t allocate enough positions for people wanting to break into the industry. We were all green horns once. I think that too many companies only want people who already have all the experience.

“Although there has been a bit of a shift in this regard – as I’ve heard of more companies spending more time giving new people a go and training new people up now than what was happening in the past.

“There are companies out there that are setting the benchmark and leading by example, when it comes to training. Hopefully we start to see more transport companies doing the same.”

Through her training program, Kattie is hoping to attract more young people into truck driving. “I’m particularly focused on indigenous females, on creating pathways and a safe place for them in this industry.”

Kattie with her eldest son Luke, following her recent NTIBN Blak Female Business Owner of the Year award win. Image: Kattie Risk

Though her new business was only started earlier this year, Kattie is already being recognised for her work, including recently receiving the NTIBN Blak Female Business Owner of the Year award (2025) and being nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to the NT award. The NTIBN Blak Business Awards celebrate the achievements and success of Aboriginal businesses and entrepreneurs across the Northern Territory.

“To stand on Larrakia country as a Larrakia country person, it’s hard to put into words what this recognition means – to have a space where black excellence is not just acknowledged but it’s celebrated, gives me a lot of pride,” Kattie said.

Along with launching her new business, Kattie continues as a Director on the Women in Trucking Australia (WiTA) Board, a role she’s held for close to two years.

“For me, being part of WiTA has been such a great support – CEO Lyndal Denny, the board and the community they’ve been able to build. Before I found WiTA, I often felt quite alone. I was constantly the only female in every position I took, so I felt quite isolated in terms of a sisterhood,” said Kattie.

“I’ve found a group of strong, fierce women, working in this industry, who are very capable. And many of them are mothers, they’re wives. I feel like I’ve found my people. Lyndal is just a phenomenal person, who’s really helped and mentored me, helping me get through some of my darkest trucking days.”

Now Kattie is hoping she too can help guide and mentor people as they come into the industry. Her advice to those considering getting into trucking is: “Don’t overlook it as a career option. If it’s something that interests you, don’t be scared to start from the bottom, whether that’s working in the yard or starting on a forklift – and look for a company that offers career progression, set goals and ask a lot of questions. Because trucking can be an extremely rewarding career.”

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