KATTIE DRIVES CHANGE 

Kattie Risk, a member of a large and influential Larrakia family, set up Billirrawarra Trucking & Training after qualifying as an assessor. 

She has been a roadtrain driver for 15 years. 

Her career has seen her do everything from carting to mines, earthworks, oversize and general. 

But she now concentrates on Outback cattle work, carting quad road trains into remote areas of the Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. 

“I’ve done it all, but cattle work is the hardest. Every other kind of truck driving is a retirement job. 

“Only 2 percent of truckies are women. I’m an Indigenous female driver, so that makes me a minority within a minority.” 

She wants that 2 percent to be 50 percent by 2050. 

Billirrawarra Trucking & Training has three elements: 

Contract drivers – employing veteran drivers to help train newcomers to the industry. “Trucking companies are crying out for drivers but they want them to be experienced,” Kattie says. “That means people wanting to get into the industry hit a brick wall. I want to bring more people into the industry, particularly Indigenous women. Veteran drivers have got trucking in their blood and would love riding as passengers and helping train younger drivers.” 

Issuing licences for truck drivers and the operators of heavy machinery, such as ‘dozers and excavators, and tickets for a range of skills, such as tickets for dangerous site work. 

Wet hire – renting out heavy machinery, such as excavators and eventually trucks. 

Kattie, who started her career as a bus driver when she was 22 before switching to trucks two years later, is a director on the Women in Trucking Australia board. 

“There was a lot of backlash to me getting that appointment. People were shocked at the racism. 

“But I don’t feel sorry for myself. I just battle on against the racism to change people’s perspective. 

“I enjoy helping people. That makes me happy. And bringing people into trucking is helping people.” 

The NHVR, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, funded Kattie’s TAE Certificate lV in training and assessment as a prerequisite to her establishing Billirrawarra’s heavy vehicle driver training and licensing. 

CONTACT 

Billirrawarra Trucking & Training 

0459 356 353 

kattierisk@gmail.com