Shaking up the traditional image of a truck driver
Sarah Brosnan probably isn’t who you’d picture as a typical truck driver.
At Fonterra, we’re passionate about diversity, and about ensuring we have the right people for the job.
There’s no one-size-fits-all employee, so where we can we look to adapt the role to fit the individual, and seek to create an inclusive culture that brings the best in our people.
Working in Spreyton Tasmania, Sarah is one of these talented individuals, and is one of the many people helping us make world-class dairy foods.
With her infectious laugh and positive outlook, Sarah is enthusiastic about her job as a milk tanker operator with our Farm Milk Collection team in Tasmania, and is a great advocate for the industry as she shakes up the traditional image of a truck driver.
Sarah
My passion for truck driving began when I started driving concrete agitator trucks in Queensland, and as you can imagine, it's a relatively male-dominated field.
After growing up and working in Queensland, I moved to Tasmania hoping that truck driving opportunities would be available. However, during that time I applied for many driving positions with little to no success.
Although it was a tough time, I refused to give up – I was determined to pursue a career in truck driving. So, I persisted and I looked at broadening my industry knowledge in the Pilbara in Western Australia. From there, I completed a dedicated transport industry job-ready program, which provided me with some great hands-on work experience back in Tassie with Ryan Contracting in Moriarty.
I was lucky enough to get a job with Ryan Contracting straight after I completed the program. This eventually led me to join Fonterra in 2018 as a milk tanker operator in its Farm Milk Collection team, and I haven’t looked back.
I love my job as it not only allows me to drive through Tassie’s beautiful countryside, but it’s also given me the opportunity to build some great relationships with our farmers.
I’d encourage any female who enjoys working outside and participating in hands on activities to give trucking at Fonterra a go.
My kids always say that I’m always at my happiest when I’m driving the big white Fonterra truck and I don’t think they’re far off the mark!