Welcome to another ‘Women in Trucking’ profile. Today I decide to take a look at a different avenue within our industry. It’s a role where there’s still a little bit of driving. It’s a role where you occasionally need to get your hands dirty. It’s a role where you spend a lot of time dealing with truckies, but most importantly, it is a role where having a lifelong passion for the industry is a massive advantage. Meet Jane Savage, sales co-ordinator for Hallam Truck Centre in Victoria.
Before we get into Jane’s story and her views on the transport industry, let’s focus on the role she has held for the last four years. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play a grown-up, real-life version of Tetris? Don’t tell me you don’t remember that old computer game where you juggled and sorted different shaped blocks. Just when you had one sorted, the next one would come down, then the next, then the next, with increased frequency. The idea was to get everything to fit together perfectly, seamlessly and with time to spare. It was an incredibly frustrating game. Now imagine doing that in real life.
That is the abstract way of describing Jane’s role. For the more literal description I shall let Jane explain.
“My job involves looking after all the new truck sales. The salesperson will deal with the customer, take the deal, take the order, spec up the truck and order it from the factory. Then they’ll bring the deal file to me and I’ll enter all that into our system,” she says.
“I’ll issue all the purchase orders, book in all the spots for stainless, turntables, bull bars and everything to be fitted. Once it comes off the line at PACCAR’s Bayswater factory, I organise and manage it all the way through until the salesperson hands the keys over when it is all completed.”
Now where the Tetris comparison comes in is when you consider that Jane is doing all of this for every new truck coming through the very busy Hallam Truck Centre. Sometimes that’s upwards of 20 trucks per month that she is overseeing, dealing with multiple suppliers for everything from lines and scrolls to custom interiors and fit outs, with everyone prioritising their own jobs and Jane having to balance all of that.
Tetris almost sounds relaxing compared to that. Not for Jane though – it is a job she relishes for a company she loves.
“It can get very busy, very hectic,” she admits.
“But I love it. I love the trucks. My husband calls me a ‘truck-wit’. There is something about them – they are cool to look at, they are cool to drive, I love seeing them come together. When a salesperson brings me the order file, I look at what model it is, what is getting done to it, what stainless is getting done and it’s exciting to picture how it is going to look.”
Jane didn’t just happen to stumble into this role – she has grown up surrounded by heavy vehicles. Her dad has been driving rubbish trucks all his life and even now at a ripe old retirement age, he is still getting up at 1am to drive to manage the front lift team at KS Environmental. Her uncle, on her mum’s side, is a linehaul driver as well and Jane was a frequent passenger with him.
“I used to spend my school holidays in the truck with my uncle. We’d go to Brisbane, pick up a load and he’d treat me to a trip to SeaWorld or something before we made our way back,” Jane recalls with a laugh.
“I’ve been around the industry my whole life. Then I met my husband Mace, and he drives tippers, so it only continued.”
As much as Jane loves the trucks and travelling in them, her skills for organisation and administration took her employment opportunities in a different direction.
“My first job was kind of along the transport lines, in the automotive industry,” she says.
“It was working for Autobarn, then I got a job at my dad’s work, KS Environmental. I worked there for about 10 years. I started in the sales/admin side and ended up out on the road doing all the high clientele stuff, looking after their contracts. I ended up doing my events diploma and was co-ordinating all the big events, like Spring Carnival and so on.”
Jane’s redirect into a real-life Tetris savant came about after the birth of her and Mace’s daughter Dakota.
“I’d had a year away from work when Dakota was born, then in 2020 this job came up,” she says.
“I thought it would be a good thing, working with trucks. I am a highly organised person and have a good memory, which is needed in this role.”
Jane took to the position like bugs to a bull bar. Having already been a part of the industry through her family as well as her husband Mace, it gave her a fair bit of respect from within the transport fraternity, something she utilises continuously in order to keep on top of her role.
“I understand that I am working in a male dominated world, but I have never really had any issues, especially working here. I had more issues when I was working at Autobarn with customers,” she says.
“I work in the industry, but I also love the industry and that helps. I attend a lot of events and shows, so, I get to meet a lot of the suppliers when I go to these events and then it all becomes a lot more personal.”
Working for a company like Hallam Truck Centre has also been advantageous for a ‘truck-wit’ like Jane.
“We have quite a few women working in different roles here,” she says.
“This side of the building is basically all women, and we’ve even got a female apprentice out in the workshop.”
Staffing aside, it is also the opportunities afforded to Jane that solidifies her love of the job.
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“The team here helped me get my HR licence as well. I needed to get it to help move trucks around if required,” she says.
“Ken, our delivery bloke, kindly gave me a few lessons, doing hot laps around the yard.”
She did mention her boss tried doing the same thing and helping her in a different way by teaching her what gear grinding sounds like. The end result?
“I have the best of both worlds now,” Jane says, meaning she gets to organise and assemble these amazing trucks while also getting the chance to drive some of them.
From someone that struggles to organise the few commitments I have each month; I have nothing but respect and admiration for the role Jane plays in delivering outstanding rigs to happy customers on a never-ending rotation. It is easy to see how she succeeds and why there is always a smile on her face – she has a great appreciation for the trucking world and the people in it.
“I love being a part of putting these together, seeing something come out of the factory as this plain looking thing, then seeing it get kitted up to the max and blinged out, it’s insane,” she says.
However, it’s more than just the trucks that inspire her.
“It’s such a good industry to be part of. Everyone is always willing to help people out, if they’re short of work they’ll be saying ‘ring this guy or try this bloke’ and it’s so good to see,” she says.
“The truckies are such good people, they always rally together when stuff goes wrong. If anyone is ever in need, or a kid is having a hard time and someone does a fundraiser, it’s always the truckies that come together, do whatever they can, put their trucks on show, do a run, do a drive or throw in some cash. It’s amazing to see it all, and it’s nice to know you’re part of all of that.”
After a quote like that, it seems a little egotistical of me to try and add anything more. Hence, I shall wrap up with a simple thank you. It was a pleasure to sit down and talk with Jane and humbling to watch her Tetris skills at work while squeezing in some time for me. Thank you.
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