As a fourth-year apprentice at Tatiara Truck & Trailers, Josh Troeth has steadily been taking on more responsibility in the workshop as he learns more on the floor.
Unlike many people who work under and inside trucks, he didn’t get into the industry with any background in transport, or even plans to work in it.
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He had originally intended to study media at university, before realising after finishing high school that the uni lifestyle wasn’t for him.
“Working as a diesel mechanic was never even something I considered until I finished school,” Josh explains.
“There was a guy I played footy with in my hometown, he was a mobile mechanic. I worked with him for a couple of days to try things out, and I liked how he operated and the work he did. He pointed me down to the Tatiara workshop and that’s how it happened.
“Now, I’m going into my fourth year as of the end of January. The three years have already flown by.”
A lot of his work is done on local fleets and owners in the Bordertown area, but there are bigger fleets that Tatiara services too.
Josh will perform axle replacements, engine rebuilds and welding work, as well as take on warranty jobs.
He says that the day-to-day challenges keep the work fresh and exciting.
“The reason I do the job is that I like solving problems,” Josh says.
“I knew absolutely nothing about it, I didn’t even know the spanner sizes. The further I get into the job, the harder the problems are getting, which I like.
“I love working with my hands. Nearly every day it’s something different. It’s where I like to be.”
For nearly two years now he’s also been going out on the road, doing call outs to breakdowns and any other issues that arise with trucks on the road.
Josh says this has been one of the greatest things for his career as a mechanic yet.
“My biggest hurdle was communication. I was 19 when I started my apprenticeship, and I’d only ever had farm jobs. That was one of the biggest learning curves for me.
“Fatigue management was new, and it all hit me like a truck when I first started.
“Having to do all the work yourself and figure it out, it’s all been the best thing. It forced me to become a better mechanic. I love doing it, and that’s why I do it.”
Zeth is focused on the McColl’s fleet itself, doing preventative maintenance works and servicing breakdowns.
He has the unique opportunity to work across McColl’s different locations, which he says has inspired him to pursue a different side of his mechanical career.
“I’ve worked around Tongala and Echuca, and Altona too,” he says.
“I’ve worked on an array of different tankers from farm pick-up to dangerous goods tankers.
“We cart latex out of Geelong as well as milk, cream and oil. It’s not one type of carting, so it’s good to get posted around and see different sides of things.
“You’ll do a two or three-week stint at the other workshops. They’re usually pretty flat out, so we try to give them a chop out when we can as we’re a little bit slower in Geelong.
“I’m working towards heading to the army. I think that’s a great pathway especially for younger guys. You can get posted anywhere, and you get to travel around Australia.
“Then on your time off you can do bits and pieces with transport companies that you never would otherwise. You can do part-time work there and get to know them.”
