For as long as she can remember Corrina Riley had always dreamed of driving a Peterbilt. Now, thanks to the opportunity given her by Andrew and Cassie Gafney who own an impressive black 388 model Pete, that dream has been realised, writes Paul Matthei.
It was with a heavy heart that Corrina Riley tendered her resignation at Hernes Freight Service from Lismore in NSW. She says she is forever grateful to the company for giving her a start driving the big trucks. However, for Corrina, the allure of driving a Peterbilt was simply too strong to ignore.
“I just know in my heart I would have regretted not taking this job opportunity,” says Corrina. “I mean it’s a Peterbilt, it’s everyone’s dream truck isn’t it?”
Corrina says her new bosses, Andrew and Cassie Gafney, had her pegged for this job for months while Andrew was getting the truck ready. The shiny black Peterbilt is actually the couple’s first foray into truck operating as an extension of their heavy vehicle repair business called Gaff’s Heavy Diesel and Haulage (formerly Gilltech Maintenance Solutions) based at Walkerston near Mackay.
Andrew, a qualified diesel mechanic, has always enjoyed working on trucks and heavy machinery and a crowning accomplishment for him has been bringing the Peterbilt back to its former glory.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for Peterbilts so when this one came up for sale I grabbed it and set about making it into what I wanted in the form of a 6×4 prime mover,” says Andrew. “It originally came to Australia as a tilt tray and was later converted to a prime mover. We bought it in a fairly poor state and we’ve pretty much rebuilt the whole thing ourselves.”
“It was originally imported into Australia by Wayne Deguara who owned a tow truck called ‘Ghost Rider’. When Wayne sold his heavy haulage business he sold the Peterbilt to Don Lette who owns Freightshift. Don had the tilt tray removed, shortened the chassis and installed a Unibilt sleeper to turn it into a line-haul prime mover.”
Andrew elaborates that he bought a new Cummins X12 crate engine from the USA to replace the tired original engine, with the new one putting out a respectable 450hp, which he says is sufficient considering the truck is not B-double rated. Behind the engine resides an Eaton 18-speed transmission.
“We replaced all the fuel tanks and steps and we’re currently installing an Icepack cab air-conditioner to make it comfortable for Corrina in the upcoming hot summer months,” says Andrew.
Andrew recently bought a new CIMC 45’ flatbed trailer for Pete to pull, which will be used to haul general freight and steel on the eastern seaboard.
“I’ll be happy for the truck to run Brisbane to Melbourne or Brisbane to Cairns,” Andrew says, adding that the only drawback with it is getting parts which can be difficult in remote locations. In fact, he says this is the reason he only wants to own one Peterbilt as the hero truck, and with subsequent trucks he is tossing up between bonneted Kenworths and Macks.
“It all comes down to maintenance, you need to have trucks which are easy to get parts for to maximise time on the road. Any subsequent trucks we buy we will try to do this and we are very happy with the way Corrina is looking after the Peterbilt.”
Andrew is strongly in favour of a ‘one driver one truck’ policy which he reckons usually leads to better outcomes, in terms of longevity, with the trucks.
Driving for Brisbane-based Barellan Freighters hauling general freight north to Cairns and backloading tropical fruit is another fond memory for Corrina.
“Driving in that sweet Kenworth T904 with an 18-speed RoadRanger pulling two trailers up the highway literally made my heart skip a beat,” says Corrina. “Even today I still get butterflies when I’m driving, and not just the ones hitting the windscreen.”
Corrina and her man were married in 2007 at Jiggi, near Lismore, and they had one of Phil Macintosh Transport’s T904s for the wedding ‘car’.
“The marriage was difficult and in 2009 we separated, but a love for trucks was by that stage instilled within my core being and had become an inseparable part of my life,” says Corrina. “After my marriage ended I found it hard leaving it all behind, but I knew that one day I would be back in trucking.”
In 2010 Corrina gave birth to her baby boy, Jack, and took a number of years off work to care for him. She lived in Lismore and often saw Hernes Freight Service trucks passing through. She made up her mind that one day she would drive for the company.
“We moved to Temagog, a small country township west of Kempsey, in 2012 and I worked at the Slim Dusty Centre, but all the while I knew that one day I would get back to driving trucks,” says Corrina. “I sure did miss it; I would get this niggling feeling in my belly every time a truck went past – it was like they were taunting me.”
In 2017 the day finally came when Corrina decided it was time to pursue her dream career.
“There wasn’t anything keeping us in Temagog, so I packed up my son and myself and we hit the road for the big move to Brisbane to pursue my love of trucks,” says Corrina. “I was a bit anxious about being alone with my young son in a big city, but I really wanted to drive again and I knew that Brisbane was exactly where we needed to be.”
Corrina did it tough for almost a year, but she persevered, gaining her Heavy Rigid licence and a year later her Multi-Combination licence. She finally scored a job with a local landscaper driving a rigid tipper and a variety of plant equipment.
“I operated every piece of machinery this company owned including a large Moxy dump truck, front-end loader, water cart, excavator and Bobcat and learnt much in the 18 months I was there,” says Corrina. “But my heart still yearned to be behind the wheel of bigger gear.”
In April 2020 she was given a start with Hernes Freight Service after persistently hounding the Depot Manager, Dereck Horrell, for a driving job.
“I was there every week knocking on the door,” says Corrina laughing. “He kept telling me there was nothing there for me, but I kept coming in anyway, or ringing him. I’m sure he thought I was stalking him. Eventually I won out and he said he’d give me a go.
“I was actually the first female they hired to drive B-doubles on local work. They already had a couple of females on interstate but not local I think because they felt that it’s a bit more demanding,” says Corrina. “It was unreal to think that all those years ago I wanted to drive for them and there I was finally doing it,” she says. “I absolutely loved working at Hernes and driving B-doubles around town.”
