On the road with Damian Jacobs

Damian Jacobs has spent the past 18 months driving a milk tanker for Fonterra across the Top of the South. With a background in the log hauling industry, Damian is no stranger to life on the road, especially night shifts.

“I’ve always enjoyed the solitude of driving, and one of the benefits of hauling milk is the work-life balance. I work three day shifts, three night shifts, then three days off, plus we get a break during the winter months when most farmers stop milking for their cows to have calves,” Damian explains.

His job involves driving long distances, often covering 350-400km a day, and regular routes span Tasman, Kaikōura, Golden Bay, Marlborough, Culverden, and various Fonterra farms scattered in between.

His work typically involves night shifts, where he picks up milk from farms and delivers it to Fonterra, where it’s processed into dairy products for export or sent to Christchurch for fresh milk bottling for supermarkets. When full, his tanker holds 27,710 litres of fresh milk.

Damian enjoys the high-tech gear he drives, a Volvo FM 540, a six-cylinder diesel engine with adaptive cruise control, and cameras.

“It’s a relatively new truck, I got it when it had only done one season with 250,000km on the clock. It’s equipped with a dual clutch, making it easy to handle.”

Damian says his biggest challenge is dealing with other traffic on the road.
“Some drivers are completely oblivious of their position on the road, especially when you’re going around a right-hand blind corner and they’re too close to the centre line. When you’re driving a big truck like mine and often on narrow roads, I’m close to that line, too.”

Despite the challenges, Damian loves the job with Fonterra. Processing 16 billion litres of milk each year, Damian’s role is essential in supporting the dairy industry, given the enormous volume of milk that needs to be transported.