THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY ALLIED PETROLEUM.
Taking the road less travelled to keep remote businesses running.
On the winding back roads in New Zealand’s beautiful South Island are two humble Kiwi blokes, Kylie and Glen, quietly working hard behind the scenes delivering fuel to rural NZ.
Kylie has been driving for Allied Petroleum for 15 years, and Glen for 12. Our Farm Trade drivers navigate wild weather, varied terrain, mud, snow and sometimes even stock. All to keep our nation’s rural businesses running. You can count on these two to roll up their sleeves and get the job done right, making them invaluable to Aotearoa’s most remote communities.
Up early. Off beaten track
Kylie and Glen begin their days early at around 4 or 5 am to plan their routes, fill up, and prepare for the day. “I have a cup of coffee,” says Kylie, who services customers from Timaru to Ashburton and up to Mayfield.
For Glen, who covers areas from Dorie and Burnham to Mount Somers, “the job fits like a glove.” He reckons the day flies by when you’re out on the road. “You get into the zone,” he adds.
Running on dedication
When we caught up with Glen, he was taking a coffee break on the side of the road, while Kylie was filling up a rural tank—which says it all when it comes to their commitment.
They both do about 200 to 300 kilometres a day. Over four years, Glen has travelled “about 360,000 km” in his Volvo truck. His furthest delivery is to Castle Ridge Station, approximately 150 km from home in Christchurch.
Kylie services about 10 to 15 different customers each day. He’s had his truck for 11 years; they’ve travelled 884,681 kilometres together, so he’s eagerly awaiting the arrival of his brand-new DAF truck. “A new truck is always something to look forward to,” he says.
She’s a beauty of a job
“There’s a lot of nice spots in the South Island,” Glen says. Kylie agrees, “It’s nice to be out on different roads, not always running the main roads like other truck drivers do,” he notes. Kylie recalls a standout delivery “for the bulk guys” when he drove over the West Coast Road to Franz Josef.
Building connections
Allied Petroleum’s customers are diverse. “Farms, commercial sites, lime works—we service a variety of everything,” says Glen. They’re “scattered from the sea to the hills,” he adds.
Kylie has been looking after the same customers for 15 years, so it’s easy to feel the mutual camaraderie created over the years. “Sometimes they’ll come over and ask if you want a cup of coffee,” he says. Glen has been servicing his customers for 12 years. “They say hello and have a bit of a chinwag at the truck,” he adds.
So, if Kylie ever gets stuck, his customers are always happy to help. “You’ve got phone numbers of farmers,” he says. He also recalls stopping to “help a lady change her tyre.” “I had to pull over and jump out,” he adds, humbly showing his willingness to go the extra mile.
Continual learning
“If you think you know it all, there’s always something to surprise you,” says Glen, who learns something new “every day” by overcoming the daily challenges of the job. His top tip for driving in mud or snow is to “stop before you get stuck”—modestly showing his skills.
Kylie advises the next generation of drivers to get experience on other trucks first, as “you can get in some pretty tight spots with the trailer.” While Glen encourages them to “just give it a go.”
Together for 27 years
Glen and Kylie have been driving for Allied Petroleum for 27 years combined. Why? Because we’re a local company committed to creating lasting connections with staff, customers and suppliers. Plus, with drivers like Glen and Kylie willing to get stuck in—you can count on Allied Petroleum to be your partner on every journey.
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