The Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association (LBRCA) Young Driver of the Year Award was announced at the 2026 NSW Rural Carriers’ Convention last week.
The recipient of the 2026 award is Jack Cooke, 23.
Based in Glen Innes, New South Wales, Cooke is a third-generation truck driver employed by Stocktrans which has been operating since 1988 and is a part of the Joe Sepos Transport Group.
“I grew up around trucks all my life, and my father and my grandfather were both truck drivers,” said Cooke, whose father, Steve Cooke, works as allocation manager at the Glen Innes Stocktrans depot.
Cooke obtained his Heavy Combination (semi-trailer) licence when he was 20 and progressed to his Multi-Combination credentials a year later.
Since beginning working at Stocktrans, he has specialised in transporting livestock – mostly cattle – at the wheel of a company Kenworth T909.
“I’ve always been around livestock trucks and every day can present a different challenge such as road closures,” Cooke told Trailer.
“The animals themselves can be challenging some days, but as a driver you’ve just got to learn to be patient.
“I’m very passionate about what I do, and I get great support at home from my partner, Olivia, and from Mum and Dad.”
On the occasion of receiving the award at the LBRCA gala dinner, Cooke proposed to Olivia who accepted.
At the event, Cooke told Trailer the LBRCA’s Young Driver Award means a lot to him.
Along with the recognition of his peers and senior members of the livestock transport industry, he remains humble about his achievement.
“It was good to be nominated, but it was definitely a surprise to win,” Cooke told Trailer.
“I didn’t see that coming too much.”
The Young Driver Award includes an industry study tour valued at $7,000, enabling the winner to expand their professional development.
Joe Sepos Snr, who received life membership of the LBRCA in 2025, told Trailer he was honoured to see Cooke receive the award.
“We’re really proud of Jack,” he said.
“He’ll have a great career in this industry and I expect he’ll be a future leader.”
In other news, Rum City Foods has expanded into Central Queensland following its acquisition of Growers Own.
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