RIP WETI
You may have noticed (or not) I know I didn't, a report in the Waikato Times about a trucky who was killed when his truck rolled on State Highway 39 out the back of Hamilton at a place called Whatawhata. I didn't, & my work hours for the last week have been such that I haven't been able to keep up with TV news & I don't usually buy The Waikato Times. It doesn't really matter all that much anyway, because Weti is dead.
He was driving for Five Star Freight, with a full load of timber on his truck & trailer, when he rolled it.
As a trucky , you get to meet all sorts of people, most of whom you wouldn't recognise if you met them in the street. Put them behind the wheel of their rig though, & they are instantly known. "Aaah, there's the guy in the brown Freightliner that does the evening linehaul from Auckland to Hamilton." That was how I first got to know Weti. We used to do an evening linehaul from Auckland to Hamilton & you could usually count on seeing Weti somewhere around Huntly, heading north in one of Road Freight's 6 wheel curtainsiders. Some truckys acknowledge your wave with a casual lift of one finger, others have their own distinctive wave. Weti was one of the latter. I used to fear for his safety at first, because Weti used to launch himself bodily at the passengers side window with a hearty wave & a grin like the front bumper on a '57 Chevy.
Later on, he started doing the Roadfreighters run to our depot in Thames, so I got to meet him in person. Nothing was too much trouble for Weti. he was always happy to do an unofficial delivery for us on the way home if it would help out. Later, when we started doing our own linehaul out of Hamilton & bought our first 8 wheeler & trailer, Weti helped us there too. The boss was doing it for a while & hurt himself badly in a stock car mishap, & Road freighters lent us Weti for the duration. He enjoyed it so much that he eventually came over & worked for us a year or two.
But, Weti being Weti, eventually he decided that a truck full of fruit & veges was a far more attractive proposition to drive, so he left. But we still got to see Weti, because one of his stops on that run was our depot. He left there too, & since then, like the proverbial bad penny, Weti would turn up in the most unlikely places, usually driving something different each time.
Rest well old friend. There probably aren't that many big rigs where you are, but I feel sure that knowing you, you will be able to cut a deal with St. Pete somewhere along the line for something to drive, who knows.
He was driving for Five Star Freight, with a full load of timber on his truck & trailer, when he rolled it.
As a trucky , you get to meet all sorts of people, most of whom you wouldn't recognise if you met them in the street. Put them behind the wheel of their rig though, & they are instantly known. "Aaah, there's the guy in the brown Freightliner that does the evening linehaul from Auckland to Hamilton." That was how I first got to know Weti. We used to do an evening linehaul from Auckland to Hamilton & you could usually count on seeing Weti somewhere around Huntly, heading north in one of Road Freight's 6 wheel curtainsiders. Some truckys acknowledge your wave with a casual lift of one finger, others have their own distinctive wave. Weti was one of the latter. I used to fear for his safety at first, because Weti used to launch himself bodily at the passengers side window with a hearty wave & a grin like the front bumper on a '57 Chevy.
Later on, he started doing the Roadfreighters run to our depot in Thames, so I got to meet him in person. Nothing was too much trouble for Weti. he was always happy to do an unofficial delivery for us on the way home if it would help out. Later, when we started doing our own linehaul out of Hamilton & bought our first 8 wheeler & trailer, Weti helped us there too. The boss was doing it for a while & hurt himself badly in a stock car mishap, & Road freighters lent us Weti for the duration. He enjoyed it so much that he eventually came over & worked for us a year or two.
But, Weti being Weti, eventually he decided that a truck full of fruit & veges was a far more attractive proposition to drive, so he left. But we still got to see Weti, because one of his stops on that run was our depot. He left there too, & since then, like the proverbial bad penny, Weti would turn up in the most unlikely places, usually driving something different each time.
Rest well old friend. There probably aren't that many big rigs where you are, but I feel sure that knowing you, you will be able to cut a deal with St. Pete somewhere along the line for something to drive, who knows.
2 comments:
Sorry to hear about Weti, Flattie. He sounds like someone that most people would've liked. It seems it's always the good ones who leave us too soon.
K
Such people are altogether too few. I've known some, worked with a few and remember them all. Drive on, Weti! -Ô¿Ô-
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