Arthur ‘Arty’ Hill has been a truck fan since he was lad, taking after his dad. He always wanted to operate trucks, and that dream is now a reality, plying the southern roads, driving a sharp T404 SAR Kenworth, and working for Dunedin’s Clearwater Civil.

Clearwater gave him a chance at the green age of 15 when Brad and Gus Clearwater took him on as a yard hand. Arthur was happy to start at the bottom and has the utmost respect for the two guys who gave him a chance, and he adds that they are great people to work for.

He has worked in drainage, hydro excavation and asphalting, gaining his licenses along the way. When he obtained his class 4, he took over the hook truck and learnt tips and tricks from other operators within the company. With class 5, he took over the company’s Freightliner Century Class full- time for a year, and then the Freightliner was replaced with the Kenworth just as he turned 21. He was over the moon with that upgrade.

The SAR is a 2005 model with about 600,000km on the dial. It runs a 525hp Cummins with an 18-speed Roadranger and spends most of its time pulling a two-axle tip trailer around the greater Dunedin area. Occasionally, Arthur will pull a low loader carrying the many plant items that Clearwater operates.

On the day Craig Andrews caught up with him, Arthur had a Clearwater Civil D6 Cat loaded for Balclutha, which had recently been stripped down and repainted by the company’s workshop team.

Arty enjoys cruising along with his music going, and not much gets him down. He says it can get a bit lonely when he is doing the big hours, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “A difficult day on the road is better than a good day in the office.”

Arthur’s vexing question was: leather or lace? He went with leather to match the interior of his truck, of course.