Little Trucker Down Under’s Top Truck for this issue is truly trans-Tasman; it was built at Bayswater, near Melbourne and is owned by Dawsons Haulage of Baranduda in Victoria, and the driver, a Kiwi lad, began his driving career the North Island of New Zealand.

Dawsons Haulage runs a striking fleet of Kenworths, towing a variety of trailers from singles and B-Doubles to extendables (trailers that can lengthen out to 22 metres long) and road trains carrying freight all over Australia.

‘Olivia Rose’ is one of four C509 Kenworths in the Dawson fleet, however she is the only one painted in the striking metallic green colour – combine that with her polished tanks and bulbar, she’s certainly a standout out.

A 615 horsepower Cummins X15 engine and 18-speed Eaton Roadranger transmission propel the Kenworth, which can be seen anywhere from Victoria to the far reaches of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia hauling freight.

Driver of ‘Olivia Rose’, Shane Mitchell, as a youngster spent hours riding around in trucks, learning the ropes and washing them before getting behind the wheel at the end of his schooling.