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The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is celebrating dads across the heavy vehicle industry this Father’s Day, with a call-out to fathers on the road on their special day.
NHVR Executive Director of Corporate Affairs Michelle Tayler said it was important the wider community realised the role heavy vehicle drivers play in keeping Australia moving.
“We know men make up 98% of the heavy vehicle driver workforce, so those numbers mean there will be a lot of grandfathers, dads and sons all behind the wheel this Sunday,” Ms Tayler said.
“The heavy vehicle industry keeps Australia moving, and that means it doesn’t stop for special days like Father’s Day.
“We want to thank all the dads driving this Sunday for moving what matters, especially when it means they are away from their family on a day when they are being celebrated.”
Owner-operator family businesses are common in the heavy vehicle industry and include Cairns-based Tuxworth and Woods Carriers, a family-run transporting icon that has been serving far north Queensland communities for more than 50 years.
Tuxworth and Woods Carriers was founded by Norm Tuxworth in 1972 and has grown from a fleet of three Bedfords in Cairns, to become a vital part of North Queensland freight transport sector, with company-owned depots in Cairns, Cooktown, Weipa and Normanton.
The business provides general and refrigerated freight, heavy vehicle transport and container transport services across North Queensland and up to Cape York, and can even salvage and tow heavy vehicles from the remote region.
While Norm, supported by his wife Val, founded the business, their son Simon is now at the wheel after developing a love for the industry he grew up in.
“I started in the business at around 8 years of age when we got the contract for transporting cement to the Copperlode Dam build,” Simon said.
“We started transporting 600 tonnes of cement a week to the site, but that quickly grew to 6000 tonnes, and I spent every weekend lugging 40-kilo bags of cement onto the trucks.
“I literally grew up with the business, and I think it’s like a lot of other industries where it becomes your family’s life. I was always going to be part of it, and there are a lot of other transport businesses where that’s the same.”
Family bonds in the business go beyond the Tuxworths, with Simon having several father and son driver duos on his books.
“In addition to fathers and sons who drive for us, we have three brothers who drive for us – it’s also just very much a family here that everyone is part of,” he said.
“I am lucky with the size we are that I get to have that contact with all of our drivers and the rest of the team. I can keep across what’s going on in their lives and can chat to them when I think they need support.
“It’s an approach that I would hope leaders in larger operations take with their teams as well.”
Simon’s own son Maxwell is 13 and spends his school holidays working in the business - and can be found sitting in the smoko circle with the rest of the yard team sharing jibes and jokes like a pro.
“When he first started hanging around the business when he was 8 or 9, he used to cop it a bit for being the boss’ son, but I’ve taught him how to respond to that, and now he totally holds his own,” Simon said.
Simon said he learned a lot from watching his father grow the business over the years.
“I would sit back and see how Dad did things and handled people and took note. Dad was sometimes harder on me than the other drivers, so I always felt I had to do better than they did to make him happy.”
Simon still calls Norm for advice and keeps him updated on major decisions in the business.
“These days dad is out of the yard, and he’s certainly not loading trucks anymore, but he’s only a call away, and I do make sure he feels connected with the business he started.”
