Cover story: Yogi Kendall
Deals on Wheels caught up with Outback Truckers’ Yogi (Glenn) Kendall as he delivered a load of machinery to Bridgetown in Western Australia
Yogi Kendall is a happy man. He’s doing a job he loves and he loves his truck PJ—short for Polly Jean. His purple and white Kenworth is as full of personality as the man himself.
Imagine this: the purple flamed apparition appears on the horizon, its chrome glimmering in the heat. Whoa! 19 metres of truck and trailer, propelled along by the throaty Cummins motor. Get outta my way! Yogi, although an out-there personality, would probably never say that. He’s all for keeping safe on the highway and respecting the rules.
Doing the business
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All packed up and ready to hit the road. Photo: Sonia Wellstead Photography
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It’s harvest time in the wheat belt region of South-Western Australia (WA), so Yogi is busy. He and his wife Amanda and their two kids, Jack (14) and Lucinda (11) live in the rural town of Katanning WA. Population 4000.
"The 1500km radius from home is our workspace. Once or twice a year, we go as far as Broome or Kununurra. Over a year and a handful of times, we cross the country from west to east, I’d average 150 nights away."
Yogi says Katanning works well as a central location for their business, Kendall Trucking. Besides, Amanda, who comes from a large, close-knit family, has many relatives nearby who they spend lots of time with.
"It’s a nice part of the world and ideally located in southern WA for the sort of work we do. We’ve got a lot of variety going on at this time."
On the day we spoke, Yogi had already picked up a Fendt tractor and was heading five hours north to load a John Deere Combine harvester plus a John Deere header, and Amanda was going to join him to help with loading and pilot work.
The trucking life
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Yogi’s Kenworth PJ (Polly Jean) is his pride and joy
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Yogi always planned to be a truck driver, just like his father and grandfather before him. Although first, his father insisted he gets a trade, which he did, as a forester. Hence his nickname, Yogi.
"Just like Yogi Bear out in the bush," he says.
Yogi worked in the highland forests of Victoria as a tree feller and drove all the big logging machines there too. But trucking won.
"I’ve always loved trucking; the truck is my life. It’s often a love-hate relationship though, and there are days you love it, and days you hate it. Overall, I’ve always had a real love for the industry and the job. Trucking life has been very good to me, and I still enjoy it. I wake up in the morning and go, Yipee!"
One of the things Yogi most likes about driving is getting out and about.
"The unknown is the biggest thing; the idea of never quite knowing what’s around the corner. In the same breath, that can be the worst part of it too."
The rules and regulations on the west coast differ to those on the east. In WA, they don’t run the eastern states logbook and driver’s hours are self-regulated.
"Our logbook is a lot more flexible and workable in WA than in other parts of Australia. We are required to do a fatigue course here; we’ve got a run sheet and get audited every year. It’s not a free for all by any means. Some think it’s the wild west out here, but that’s not the case," says Yogi.
Truck and trailer
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A typical spectacular WA sunset near Geraldton. Photo: Sonia Wellstead Photography
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"She’s beautiful, my truck," says Yogi proudly. "The KW T900 has done 3.3 million kilometres but having had a new ‘heart’—an upgrade to a Cummins Gen 2 525hp from the previous Cummins N14 redhead—she could go another million kilometres without a worry in the world."
Yogi recently purchased a new low loader, a Drake O’Phee trailer, which replaced the Barker low loader he had previously. The heavy haulage trailer was built in Brisbane.
"The Drake is extremely well made and is the best trailer for carting machinery. It’s beautiful and is painted purple to match the truck. Drake O’Phee have done a good job painting it. I’m like a kid in a lolly shop right now.
"For the sort of work we do, the Drake is a better build, a lot stronger and goes wider than our last one. At 4.3 wide, it’s versatile. Whether its containers or large machinery, there’s nothing we can’t load on it."
When asked if he has the latest technology in his truck, Yogi laughs. "I use very little. I’ve got my iPod and a phone; that’s about it. I haven’t got a GPS or anything, really. I like the idea of driving the truck to the conditions and looking through the window. I also like the idea of having the window open so you can feel what’s going on around you. I like all that. We need to go back to the driving side of things; be better drivers. I think we’ve let a lot of that side of the industry go."
How about the extra tall gear stick we’ve seen when watching the Outback Truckers show?
"Oh, haha, I’m just trying to keep up with the cool kids. Lots of people ask me about that. It takes away the idea of having my hand on the stick all time, which puts a lot of pressure on the gearbox. I don’t ever sit there with my hand on top of the stick."
Yogi says his truck is a beautiful cruising truck.
"I’ve got an Eldorado VIP air suspension seat and armrests, and it’s very comfortable. You can do so many kilometres in a day. You can just sit there; it is beautiful to drive. And with the big purple flames, it adds a bit of flair. I’m 44, but I’m still a young bloke at heart in this game."
Kendall Trucking
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Loving the trucking lifestyle—Yogi and Amanda Kendall
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Yogi and Amanda have operated Kendall Trucking & Co for eight years.
"Amanda is the brains behind the business. All I’ve got to do is answer the phone and point the truck in a forward direction," says Yogi.
Before branching out on his own, Yogi worked as a truck driver with a tractor dealership for six years but has been doing this type of work for 13 years.
"Amanda pushed for starting our own business, and so far, we have no regrets. As a small business, we’ve enjoyed the highs and lows. We’ve been to the bottom and the top.
"I had a big moment when I turned 43. I was out in the middle of nowhere and woke up on my birthday and thought, having spent 24 years driving all over Australia, I wouldn’t mind some time out. But Amanda went, ‘Ah… pull your head in there; you’re not too bad’. She steered me out of that mindset."
One of the reasons Yogi was contemplating having a change was seeing how fast his children were growing up.
"You hear a lot of truck drivers say they miss their kids growing up and that they weren’t there for this and that. You see that a lot in our industry, so I thought maybe I should get a ‘normal’ job and work Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm. Then I could be there for hockey and basketball and go away on the weekends, have four weeks off a year like a normal person.We had a sit-down dinner and a family meeting and discussed this. The kids liked the idea of it, but they’d also grown up with the trucking life and were used to me going away.
"At the time we had that discussion I was planning to go to New Zeland for the New Zealand Trucking Association to attend the TMC Truck Show but that didn’t happen because of COVID-19. Then I was going to the US with Amanda and kids after, but that never happened either, we so invested money into our business, and here we are. It has put us back in front again with our new trailer, as it can do most jobs. The kids were happy with the decision, and so is Amanda."
Outback Truckers
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On an east-west 9000km run. Seen here on a 90 mile straight.
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Yogi has been on the TV show for as long as he’s been an owner-operator.
"I enjoy it. Put it this way: it’s given me a boat to row, a place I want to be. I also have a strong relationship with the NZ Trucking Association as a result of the show."
While Yogi likes the limelight, his more reserved wife isn’t as keen.
"I’m a bit out there whereas Amanda is more reserved. So, she doesn’t like it too much; it’s not her cup of tea. Lucinda and Jack love it though, and it has shown them something. Living in a small town you get pigeonholed into farming or mechanics or labouring and that kind of work, so it has shown them that this is someone’s job—to get paid to do the filming and travel the world. That side of it has been a bonus."
As a result of Outback Truckers, Yogi has become well-known all around the world. However, it’s on their home turf that Amanda scores higher in the popularity stakes.
"She’ll be in the supermarket; everyone is talking to her, and I’ll be holding the trolley tagging along behind. Our kids think a purple flame truck and Dad being out there is just normal. They love the TV series. I think they’ve figured out it offers a bit of street cred at school. They’re always keen to get on the TV and do what they do.
"The film crew phoned me yesterday and want me to do something more, so we’ll try and pick something up this year. They’re now into filming season nine. I hope they’ll show more about the loads and what we do. We get a bit frustrated that’s it is built around the drama—10% of the day is full-on but 90% is uneventful."
Family life
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Amanda, Jack, Lucinda, and Yogi
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The whole Kendall family is involved in the trucking lifestyle and have been right from the start. Amanda and Yogi travelled all around Australia in the truck before Jack was born.
"After he came along, we stopped and settled for a bit. But we all like the idea of being out in the bush in the middle of nowhere, so we get away regularly. When Jack was four years old, we did 12,0000km in one month. We would roll the flags out or sleep in the truck and cook our food outside. It’s a good life.
"People see us on the show but don’t realise this is what we do for a living, and the kids get involved too. Jack was very young when he unloaded his first combine harvester off the truck for me. Amanda, who also does all the pilot work, backs the machinery on and Lucinda is in charge of the signs and swags. We work together efficiently as a family.
"The kids have driven many of the machines; they know the value of work and what they need to do to get the rewards. Consequently, the idea of working and being away on the job and their work ethic is strong. My Mum and Dad taught me that too."
Next-generation drivers
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Local delivery of two Claas combine harvesters
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One thing Yogi is passionate about is training the next generation of drivers. He thinks there should be a minimum entry level for people entering the truck driving industry. Something like an apprenticeship would be ideal.
"There should be a minimum entry-level in terms of their skills. That would be a big step forward and help prevent a lot of on-road issues.
"We are losing our identity and losing the idea of trucking of what trucking is about. I think technology is partly to blame for that. We’ve also got to be able to attract youth to our industry. We need to get back to the romance of looking through the windscreen, experiencing the joys of what we do, rather than focusing on the over-regulation that exists. If we can encourage youth into the game, it will be a good start."
If you are after a Kendall Trucking & Co T-shirt or hoodie, you can buy one online at nztruckingassn.co.nz/product/2310703.
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