LEGENDS
I
Growth and Learning – Alan Forbes
F YOU’VE SPENT ANY TIME AROUND THE TOKOROA REGION and the forestry industry, Alan Forbes is a name you’ll be familiar with. Not only did this Southpac Legend grow a large and successful log transport business from humble beginnings, but he was also there when the LTSC (Log Transport Safety Council) was formed and continues to ‘learn’ with the TOL (Tour of Learning) group. As with many transport operators Alan developed a keen interest in trucks through his father. As a young fella, he used to go to work with his dad, going out with the trucks and helping with the material handling. “I just liked machinery and trucks so I used to go work with him on a Saturday, and that kindled the interest,” says Alan. Alan’s father was transferred from Whakatane to Kinleith Mill and was managing the workshops, so Alan got an apprenticeship at the
62 | Truck & Driver
mill and did his time there. But it was the work with their trucks that really piqued his interest. “I served my time at NZ Forest Products in Kinleith, in the Tokoroa workshops. They had a fleet of logging trucks there, and that sort of got me going.” Finishing his apprenticeship, Alan got a job at what was then known as Alexander Grain and worked for John Alexander for the subsequent 12 months in the workshop. He also ended up doing quite a bit of driving there too. “That’s what started me off,” he says. From there he went back to Tokoroa and started driving for Forest Products, in a company truck. “After 12 months they offered me a position as a contractor on a self-loading truck. It had a crane on the back and I had to load myself and away we went. That was 1979.”
