Linehaul driver Beck named SARTA Young Achiever of the Year

But a move to the country to take up a job with Mount Gambier's Fennell Forestry changed her trajectory altogether.

She is now a valued member of Fennell Forestry's linehaul division, delivering timber across the Nullarbor and into Western Australia, clocking up 7,000 a week behind the wheel of a 36m AB Triple.

And it seems her skill and dedication have not gone unnoticed within the industry. Beck was awarded the South Australian Transport Association's Young Achiever of the Year award at the 2024 conference and dinner event in Adelaide on 3 August.

"I really didn't plan to end up in this line of work, but when a previous employer realised I could move a trailer backwards just as well as I could move it forwards and threw me in the deep end, things kind of just fell into place," Beck said.

"I already had a HR licence when I came to Mount Gambier and some experience under my belt, so after upgrading to an MC licence, I was able to start transporting log."

And thanks to further in-house upskilling through competency-based training to strict industry standards, she later progressed to linehaul driving.

Now working a week-on, week-off roster, she says the balance suits her lifestyle and provides a sense of routine.

 I leave on a Friday morning and get to Perth Sunday night. Then I've got to come back. It's a lot driving, with big days on the road," she said.

"The path there might always be  the same and I have my regular break locations, but the scenery is always changing. There's always something new to see."

Beck said for her, linehaul driving was the perfect fit and a long-term career. She recommended anyone considering a career in forestry and heavy transport driving to "give it a go", just like she did.

"It just might be the career for you. Your potential is only limited by what you think you can do," she said.