Paul Kaa-Galloway, EIT Graduate, Certificate in Forestry Driving. Now truck driving for Chopper Haulage.

Logging truck driver Paul Kaa-Galloway starts work at 2am most mornings, but you won’t catch this 28-year-old father of  two complaining.

Paul, an EIT Tairāwhiti graduate with his Certificate in Forestry Driving (level 3), now has a job for Chopper Haulage  thanks to his father-in-law – a fellow logging truck driver.

Studying full time was enjoyable, and Paul says gave him plenty of family time too.

These days, morning contact with his children is by phone as they prepare for day care and he is already out on the road clocking up the kilometres between Gisborne, the Coast and Mangatu.

He’s been working for Chopper Haulage for two months now, and figures he hauls up to 84 tonnes of logs each day in his  Argosy Freightliner truck and trailer.

“I was lucky to have the job there as soon as I got my last ticket,” said Paul, who spent seven years driving fork lifts, and is happy for the change.

“I wanted to get into forestry and drive trucks… there’s a lot of opportunity out there if you have the right training.”

He thoroughly enjoyed studying at EIT Tairāwhiti, and says the support from tutors was invaluable.

And he feels the long days on the road are worth it, as the family save for their first home.