Aad Kooter from Hazerswoude, close to Amsterdam, has been a truck driver for 44 years, with over half of this time spent as an owner-driver. When Paul O‘Callaghan caught up with him at the Truckstar Festival in Holland, he was proudly displaying a fascinating album of old photos from a table in front of his truck. Parked alongside were the Volvos owned by brother Bertino, whose own flower logistics company regularly runs into Belgium and Germany.

Aad can trace his family‘s involvement in transport right back to the early days when they transported cattle on barges within Holland. From these beginnings, the family progressed to international livestock transport, travelling far afield as Spain and Italy. As a result of rate cutting from eastern European hauliers, Aad spends much of his time pulling a bulk potato trailer for the AB Texel Group, primarily within Holland. That said, his 2015 Volvo FH 500 gets to stretch its legs once a month on a trip to Norway pulling a refrigerated trailer for Hartman Expeditie. Neat touches are the F89 decal on the bottom of the doors as well as the Moustache name above the door. As with most drivers, increasing regulation is the main concern for Aad. When asked about places he liked to visit, Portugal wins every time.

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