SIDELIFT SAVANT
When he arrived six years ago, Glen Mosely was the first sidelift driver at Les Harrison’s Mt Maunganui branch. “Work has picked up a bit since then,” he says with a chuckle.
Glen started driving at 20 when he found himself looking for a career change. “I was working as a security guard, and an agricultural contracting job came up with Jackson Agricultural Contracting in Te Pahu, so I thought I’d give that a go,” he explains.
He spent time carting maise and grass in a twoaxle truck before joining Gilmours Hamilton, doing deliveries. “Gilmours put me through my class 4,” Glen says.
“Then a job came up for a Swinglift driver at LCL, back when they were still running. They put me up to class 5 with forklift, dangerous goods, and wheels, tracks and rollers. When they sold out, I went to Australia.”
Glen found himself behind the wheel of an FH Volvo with 620 Cummins doing general interstate freight.
After six years in Australia and missing his two kids growing up, Glen returned to New Zealand.
He adds: “The kids have no interest in trucks yet, but I’ll hopefully try to keep them away from it,” he jokes. “It’s not that it’s a bad lifestyle, but they’re a lot smarter than I am. So, hopefully, they’ll have even more opportunity.”
Back in New Zealand, Glen found himself on the road, carting milk powder out of Reporoa for NZL Group.
“But I quite enjoyed doing this sort of job [sidelifts], so when my mate rang me up and told me Les Harrison was starting up in Tauranga, I chucked my name down,” he says.
“I’ve lived all over the place, but Tauranga has always been home. And Les Harrison’s a good crowd to work with. They don’t push you; there’s always tomorrow.”