Jay Currie has become the UK’s youngest dump truck driver at only 13 – following in his brother’s and dad’s footsteps.
The teenager snatched the record from his older brother, Jamie, who also gained his own red card qualification after he turned 13 in 2020.
Both brothers take after their dad, James, who is director of Currie Contractors Cullen Ltd.
Jay didn’t wait around to start making his way towards the qualification, so he started making arrangements early.
“I couldn’t book my first test until I was 12, so we booked it on my 12th birthday, and I passed 10 days later with 49/50 marks,” he said.
‘I found it quite easy’
These high marks continued when Jay attended a three-day course followed by a test at GoldCast Academy in Lanark to keep building up experience.
He said: “During the course, I had to drive the dump truck around a stockpile into position for loading, then do the same in reverse.
“I found it quite easy, and it also helped that the Bell B20 dump truck was easy to use. I revised the theory questions and what they meant too, so I passed with flying colours with 151/151 marks and I then passed the practical test too.
“In the test, we were loaded by a digger and reversed to the stop block and tipped the load. I completed around 10 loads.”
Keeping it in the family
Jay always wanted to get his dump truck qualifications so he could help his brother and dad.
“I have always been fascinated with big dump trucks since a young age,” he said.
“My brother did his digger ticket so I thought I should try to get a dumper ticket so we can get some earthmoving done. I wanted to do it at an early age too so that I could have more experience on the machine.”
Moving forward, Jay hopes to pass his NVQ at 16 and encourage other young people to get an early head start in whatever career they hope to pursue.
For now though, brother Jamie is excited to have him on hand at work: “It’s really good that Jay has his dump truck qualification now. It means we can practice together and do jobs around the house.
“When we’re old enough to work on commercial sites, I hope we can do that together and build our own plant business one day.”
The Moray siblings have been supported through their first steps in the industry by president of the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA), Callum Mackintosh.
Mr Mackintosh said: “Laying the foundations for a career in plant at 13 is admirable. The focus, hard work and determination shown here will carry Jay a long way in life.
“Jay and his older brother are an inspiration for other young people, particularly those whose family business is in the plant industry and can replicate their achievements.”
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