“I’d ummed and aahed but he just said to ‘stand on your own two feet.’ ”

started Main Road Training – to sort of educate us on how we were going to get more drivers through.”

Then, as Daniel recounts, “that grew. Then I got a t ruck (the K104 Kenworth) – and that grew. And I c ame to a decision that I needed to focus 100% on one side or the other – because I was only doing 50 and 50.

“The trucks have always been my passion….so that’s the direction I decided to take.”

It was Jim, says Daniel, who encouraged him to go into business, “I’d ummed and aahed but he just said to ‘stand on your own two feet. If you want something to change you’ve got to do something about it.’

“He told me: ‘Look, I’ll help you into this truck – but you’ll have to go out and buy a t railer. Because if you owe money on the trailer you’re gonna keep that truck working, ‘cos I’m not gonna help you out.’ ”

He duly bought the 2006 Kenworth 8x4 flatdeck off Freight Lines, “thanks to Grandad – and luckily I got the driver (Stretch) with it. I c alled Freight Lines’ dispatcher/manager Simon (Coyle) and said: ‘I can’t steal the driver with that truck can I?’ And he was like: ‘I think he’ll go with it anyway.’ ”

He and the Kenworth – nicknamed Cribb, in honour of Mathew Cribb (who these days drives for Bulk Lines), who he’d done so many trips with as a k id – initially went to work mostly for the Porter Group, moving machinery around: “Like I say, there are people that have helped me along the way.

The Porter f amily are just amazing to be around and work with. They helped me to get on my feet to start off with. I was running my truck and all the Porters’ trucks.”

Af ter Grandad Jim’s death in late 2016 – and Daniel