When livestock hauler McKyla Hull had to say goodbye to her old Fuso Fighter after racking up 800,000km, she was determined to replace it with the same model and a fresh stock crate.
The six-month wait for a new build with JM Welding, a company she owns with her husband John in Tamworth, was not ideal. However, Hull waited in line for her build slot like other customers, despite her position, and has shared her joy at the end product.
“No jumping the queue for me,” she said. “I had to wait in line like everybody else, but it was worth the wait and it was so nice when it was finished.”
Hull and her husband buy and sell cattle, which accounts for some of her cargo, but most of the work for the JM Pastoral transport arm is moving cows, sheep and goats for others all over New South Wales.
Her old Fuso Fighter served well, but it was ready to leave the road and take on a new role as a farm truck after clocking up huge mileage.
“It was a great truck that never let me down and it also went like a scolded cat which was nice,” she said.
“We didn’t have to touch the engine or gearbox or even change a clutch, but given its mileage I didn’t want to take the chance that it would give up out in some really remote location.”
Hull headed into JT Fossey in Tamworth to buy a new Fuso Fighter, partly because she knew how reliable the Fighter operated, but also because her family has known salesman, John Saint, for decades.
“John is such a great guy and we have always had fantastic service from the guys at JT Fossey, they are always keen to help,” she said.
Hull chose a 1627 Fighter, which gets along using a 270hp/784Nm 7.5-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel linked up to a nine-speed manual.
She prefers her gear as simple as possible so that if, ever, anything does go wrong, it can be fixed anywhere at any time.
The Fighter also comes with a manufacturer warranty that covers the truck for five years or 350,000km, whichever comes first, which provides additional peace of mind.
The Fighter was fitted with a JM Welding 24′ single deck anti-bruise stock crate that features in-floor drainage, a drop ramp and a rear-slide gate.
It can carry around 80 to 100 sheep, 35 smaller cows (weighing approximately 200kg) or 18 large cows and Hull covers a lot of ground moving stock to all corners of the state.
Hull shared her love of truck driving which should not come as a surprise, given her background and early exposure to the industry.
Her father Darren drove a livestock truck and Mrs Hull and her brother spent a lot of time washing it, as well as going for the occasional ride-along.
Now, her ‘mostly-retired’ father comes along sometimes and shares driving duties with Hull to make sure she doesn’t run out of hours on her logbook.
“Dad loves that I ended up driving a livestock truck,” said Hull.
Given the livestock industry has been so traditionally male-dominated, it is no small achievement.
“One of the best things about my job is travelling to all these wonderful places,” she said. “I just love it.”
