Truckfluencer CJ Smith inspires apprentices
BY MATT BROGAN | 23rd Sep 2024
HEAVY haulage driver Casuarina Smith, who has more than 100,000 social media followers, paid a visit to Kangan Institute’s Centre of Automotive Excellence Docklands Campus in Melbourne to talk with the next generation of automotive apprentices about the opportunities that lay ahead.
Teaming with Hella Australia representatives Jon Loughron and Harry Liaros, and Kangan Institute’s Gavin Cribb and Damien Bitzios, Ms Smith conversed with heavy vehicle repair apprentices about the changing face of the industry, and the importance their roles play in regional, interstate, and remote area transport.
Hella Australia representatives noted the role advanced vehicle diagnostics now play in heavy vehicle repair and maintenance with the need to “stay current” and continue to learn, while Ms Smith shared her own insights from the road and her continued on- and off-the-job learning.
She stressed the importance of continual skill development, noting how access to training, education, and mentors had aided her progression in driving more advanced, and inevitably larger, equipment within the industry.
“I’ve consistently challenged myself as a driver. Now working for Merkanooka Haulage in Western Australia in a FIFO role, I continue to challenge myself to learn and operate the wide array of equipment in use out here effectively,” she said.
“My personal favourite is the Kenworth 909, and when I spoke with the apprentice group at Kangan, it was pretty clear that everyone in the industry has their own favourites – whether you’re driving them or fixing them.”
Ms Smith reiterated the importance of the relationship between drivers and maintenance teams, saying that “things simply wouldn’t happen” without it.
She said it was vital that training institutions continued to attract and skill the next generation of technicians, noting how quickly the technology was adapting.
“Just as skilled drivers help to keep our country moving, so do skilled technicians,” she explained.
“The technicians who adapt, repair, and maintain the equipment we drive are highly valued.”
As a brand ambassador to Hella Australia, Ms Smith works almost as tirelessly in communicating with the industry as she does behind the ’wheel, embracing opportunities to talk with the next generation of drivers and technicians about the opportunities available.
