Owner/Driver #339

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“You can’t just have a truck sitting around for the sake of liking it.” Top: Check out the T404 loader at work. This truck, with an adapted Kesla 2024 loader fitted, is one of only three like it in the country. It was specially built by Rosin Developments in Tumut Below: The grassy green look of Leeson’s Legend 950 really stands out – even in the company’s custom-built full-service workshop subbying for a couple of local farms. For a 24-year-old he made a damn good go of it, though being able to do his own maintenance would have been a bonus. He spent a couple of years as an owner-driver before the tough competitive financial conditions forced him back into the paid driver scene. Deppo spent another couple of years gaining valuable on-road experience until an opportunity came up to re-join the Leeson’s team. Now here is the cosmic, stars-aligning, crystal predication situation. Deppo started at Leeson’s when the Pete turned up. Nine-and-a-half years later he returns to the fold as the Pete is being put out to pasture. Freaky, hey? He recalls his immediate reaction was one of disappointment: “Oh shit, that’s a bugger, I wanted to drive it. I’ve loved it since it was brand new,” he recalls telling the boss at the time. Deppo watched the boys repurpose the old trailers and the Pete’s cab guard, utilising them elsewhere in the fleet and leaving the old Pete to get parked up in Garry’s shed. When the opportunity came for Deppo to talk to the boss about cleaning it up for him, he took it. He remembers Garry saying, “OK, well go ahead, take it home and polish it up.” With no idea of what the future held for the Pete, Deppo parked it in his shed for a year and spent every available moment trying to bring some shine back to the old girl. Second coming As we rolled into the end of 2018, Rick recalls having a conversation with his dad in regard to what to do with the fleet and, in particular, the old Pete. “You can’t just have a truck sitting around for the sake of liking it,” Rick says. A valid point when you consider the cost of registration alone. As Rick also points out with the smirk only a child can pull off when talking about family: “It is mum and dad’s company, so he gets what he wants.” Garry had seen the effort Deppo was putting into the Pete and decided he wanted to put it back to work. Like Stuart the original driver, they’d found a guy that was giving love and care for it like it was his own. In order to get it back to working it was decided they really needed to give it an overhaul. Starting with the old wornout engine, the local Kenworth agents sourced a brand-new Cummins EGR motor and chucked out the old one. The whole truck got attention: it was stripped almost bare and restarted. 48 APRIL 2021 ownerdriver.com.au
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