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Shaun Tomai (centre) with Betty Heremaia Sola (left) and Liana Manu. All three have just started working for Carr and Haslam, where about a fifth of the drivers are female.
Plagued by years of driver shortages, the Government and Road Transport Forum has launched an all-out bid to encourage more men and women into trucking careers. Nineteen-year-old Shaun Tomai joined transport firm Carr and Haslam two weeks ago. He has been familiarising himself with various vehicles “just so I know how to drive every car they have here”, as he works his way up to the rigs. “It’s been real good so far . If you’re not used to waking up at 4.30am and finishing at 5 or 6pm, doing overtime or maybe even working Saturdays, those are the cons for people that may be stopping them from getting into truck driving.