Max Brighouse and his granddad Dave Matich are not just family; they’re great mates.

If you want to find 15-year-old Max Brighouse on a Satur- day morning, he’ll be around one of the gorgeous trucks owned by his grandparents Dave and Colleen Matich.

Max is a young trucker to the core, and he is already living the dream. During the week, Max attends Raglan Area School, but come the weekend, he gets a different education, learning the finer points of cleaning, servicing, operating, and polishing ‘big iron’.

He spends every spare moment he can with grandad Dave, and they’ve travelled the country from top to bottom. In fact, when Dave bought his K200 Kenworth last year, he spec’d the 2.8m aerodyne with a double bunk, pretty much so Max had somewhere to sleep too. What a guy!

If you see the big green TSMS Kenworth thundering along, give it a huge wave. The driver waving back will be Dave, and the big wave coming at you from the passenger side will most likely be the super-friendly Max Brighouse.

Max’s quick questions!

What are you going to do when you grow up?
“Get my licences and drive trucks.”

What do Dad and Mum do?
“My dad Sol is an oil-rig worker in Taranaki; my mum Sandra is a midwife at Waikato Hospital.”

Brothers and sisters?
“One sister, Esme.”

Does she like trucks too?
“She likes them, but I don’t think she will drive them.”

Favourite thing about trucking?
“Driving everywhere, seeing the country, and the chats and talks that Grandad and I have as we roll along.”

Favourite jobs around the trucks?
“I like polishing, especially the wheels – it keeps them shiny.”

Favourite thing you like about TSMS trucks?
“I like the throwback to Senton Sawmills colours. I think that looks really cool.”