Triple the fun for this former mechanic turned truck driver

Former mechanic Ryan Mckenzie loves driving triple road trains around Australia, even in remote parts of the Northern Territory.

I saw the 36-year-old truck driver checking the trailers behind his Kenworth T909 on the Port Access Road near Townsville. She was bound for Douglas Daly in the NT with a load of general merchandise.

In the next lane to the breakdown lane was a squadron of scales checking trucks.

Ryan said he had been a mechanic for eight years and has been driving trucks for the past 12 years.

He is based in Ipswich and works for his father Grant, who runs Whanau Transport out of Melbourne.

As for rest areas in Australia, Ryan believes many more are needed for trucks.

“We need ones with facilities like toilets – many are just extraction areas with a lot of dirt,” he said.

By far his favorite roadhouse during his extensive travels is the Roebuck Plains Roadhouse in WA.

“They offer the best feed you’ll get anywhere,” he said.

A supporter of the Cowboys in the NRL, Ryan has no real hobbies outside of work and just enjoys quality time with family.

“My wife is Tess and we have four children aged 14, 11, six and two,” he said.