“So when are you going to write about my truck?” were the first words out of Riley ‘Noof’ Nolen’s mouth as he approached me at a mutual friend’s birthday the other weekend.
Now despite what you may think, the phrase has become a common sentence that often follows me when I return home to regional New South Wales.
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Truck drivers and those in the transport industry dominated my hometown of Deniliquin, as they do the surrounding towns like Berrigan, where Riley lives.
Arching one brow at his request, I demanded he better give me a good story if he wanted to grace the pages of Deals on Wheels, and he didn’t disappoint.
At only 25, Riley is living out what I deem to be a truckie’s dream. Stable work, a house under his own name and a ferocity for life that is evident in not only his passionate words but the moustache on his grinning face.
Growing up, he lived on the main highway that ran through Berrigan, often finding himself sitting on the front lawn admiring the dozens of trucks that blew through daily.
“I remember sitting out there a lot and just watching them all driving past,” he says.
“Kenworths, Macks, you name it. I would imagine myself being that person driving past.”
His obsession was also fuelled by his familial connection to the industry – his grandfather and family friends owning businesses or trucks themselves.
“My pop used to own trucks back in the ‘70s, and I suppose that was my first introduction to it,” he says.
“For me, there just wasn’t any other way I wanted to go. Even as a kid, I knew this was what I wanted to be doing.”
As soon as he was able to, Riley dove head-first into the industry, his first foray being working for the fire department back home.
“That’s where I got my first licence, a medium rigid. It was great to finally be able to get my foot in the door and get behind the wheel,” he says.
While content with his role, his eyes were always wandering to the bigger rigs and leaving him wondering how he could find himself in one of his own.
Deciding to dip his toes into another area, he packed up his stuff and carted himself to Raywood, Victoria where he found himself at a farm. “I was only driving a little light rigid at that point, and when it came time for peak harvest season, I would see the big trucks come into the paddock and wish that I could just jump in it,” he says.
“I think it really just stirred something in me and motivated me to keep going.”
Satisfied with his time away from home and new experiences under his belt, Riley returned back to Berrigan and joined the Sandford Ag crew.
His day to day sees him carting grain and fertilizer back to Blighty from across Victoria.
“We normally start on a Sunday and have the heavy truck load ready to go down to the port, whether it’s Melbourne or Geelong,” he says.
“During the cotton harvest, we’ll even cart cotton over to Hay from the farm in Blighty.”
Despite often keeping close to home base, Riley will sometimes head up to Far North Queensland during harvest season and help fulfil contracts when needed.
This work, however, couldn’t be done without his trusty ol’ Kenworth T909. This 2022 model, the cream of the crop as some would say, has all the “bells and whistles” that the popular brand is renowned for.
“The truck is fully equipped for me to be away in it and has everything I need to live away from home,” he says.
“It can sometimes be difficult when you’re on the road for longer periods of time but making sure you’re comfortable makes it go by easier.
“It’s a very comfortable, smooth truck, especially given the conditions of the roads we drive on.”
While a microwave and toaster are welcome additions to his longer hauls, Riley says the people he meets on the road are what makes it worthwhile.
“You meet a lot of people when you’re in this industry and you forge friendships that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” he says.
“Everyone’s willing to give everyone a hand when the time comes, everyone chips in and helps.”
While Riley has nothing but praise for his job, the one thing that he thought could improve his experience would be ensuring road users receive more education on how to share the road with trucks.
“It’s nothing against car drivers,” he laughs. “But trucks are large vehicles, and I think it would benefit both sides to have more education surrounding how to share the road with them.
“We all want to make sure we get home safely, and with a little extra education, I think that would be reality for more people.”
When asked where he saw himself in the next five to 10 years, there was no hesitation before he spurted, “right where I am”.
“I’m driving one of the best trucks you can almost get in the transport world. I have great bosses, great coworkers, and I love the work I do out on the farm,” he says.
“Why would I want to be anywhere else?”
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