Story by Danielle Gullaci, courtesy Big Rigs Magazine

The Travelling Jackaroo is back behind the wheel, working as a contractor for Queensland towing company Clayton’s Towing.

Sam Hughes recently completed his 27,000km charity trip around Australia and returned home to Maleny on the Sunshine Coast in August, after three and a half years on the road in his trusty old 1957 Chamberlain tractor. The 21-year-old was able to raise a whopping $260,000+ for three charities, sharing his adventures with his Facebook followers, which have now surpassed 274,000.

While most of that time was spent behind the wheel of a tractor, Sam is no stranger to tilt tray and recovery work, having spent some time working for Berry Springs Mechanical, while in Darwin earlier in the year – as he saved up for the final stretch of his trip.

Sam started with Clayton’s earlier this month and says he’s really enjoying the new role.

He’s behind the wheel of an Isuzu dual cab, a far cry from the vintage tractor he was used to. “It’s bloody fantastic to drive. Any vehicle post 2000 feels new to me,” he laughed. It’s got every little thing in it like air conditioning and air suspension.

“The work has been fantastic. I enjoy doing it because I get to help people – and I get a few coins in the kitty as well.

“It’s very similar to the work I did in Darwin. When I spoke to Mike [Clayton’s Towing CEO], he said if I was looking for work, they had an opening here in Maleny. They get a lot of work up here with breakdowns and repairs, and they needed someone to help out, so they offered me a job as a contractor.”

Sam says the training offered at Clayton’s Towing was second to none. “They’re really great on the training side – I did a week’s training before heading out, so it was nice having that.

“Everyone at Clayton’s has been really supportive and helpful.”