Lifestyle
A FIFO worker dubbed the “world’s hottest truck driver” has revealed her insane six-figure salary that she says has allowed her to live her “best life.”
Perth-based Ashlea took to social media to offer a glimpse into her busy life working in remote Western Australia.
Working as a dump truck driver, she works 14 days on, 14 days off, up in the Pilbara mines, waking up at 4 am for hectic 12-hour shifts in the sweltering heat.
But the hard work has paid off, with Ashlea earning $120,000 a year for working “six months out of the year” – adding that she has an “awesome life”.
How do I pull off such a good lifestyle while doing mining? I have an awesome life,” Ashlea said in a TikTok video.
“So how do I achieve this? Well first of all I do a two-and-two roster, so every month I have two weeks off, so that gives me plenty of time to do some really awesome things.
“I make it a priority in my life to do super cool sh*t.
“I’m always going to events, I’m always partying, I’m always traveling, I’m always eating out, I’m just doing everything that I love to do.”
She highlighted a few “contributing factors” that has allowed her to live her dream life.
“First of all, I have no children, thank goodness … I have no kids,” she explained, laughing.
“Second of all, I’m single by choice so I have no partner to worry about.
“I also have no debt so I own my car. I sold my investment property so my bank account is looking quite nice at the moment.”
She went on to explain exactly how much she earns as a FIFO truck driver.
“We don’t gatekeep here so let’s talk about money,” she said.
“Obviously, all companies are going to pay differently so this is just what I personally got.”
When she first started as a trainee, she earned $36.50 per hour.
But after her first three months of working in the mines, she received a wage rise, bringing her hourly pay rate to $43.50.
“So quite a nice jump,” she said.
“For my first year as a greenie (truck driver) that would have taken me to approximately $94,000 to $95,000 annually for the six months so pretty cool for a new truckie.
“If I stayed at that site as an experienced truck driver, I think I would have got bumped to about $46.50 an hour.”
After completing her first year, Ashlea changed contractors and her new hourly rate increased to $51.50.
“So that’s pretty good,” she said.
“The contracting company I’m with actually pays you a bonus each month and they pay you $2000 each month that you stay with them, so that could be anywhere between $6,000 to $10,000.
“So annually my $51.50 would be approximately $112,000.
“With my bonuses, that could be another $10,000 – so $122,000 for my first year.
“I think it’s pretty good for working only six months of a year as a truckie.”
In a new TikTok video, Ashlea was shocked after someone on the internet made a video about her being the “world’s hottest” truck driver.
The clip shows her living her best life, while a man with an American accent narrates her story.
“Someone has made a video about me online, and it just got sent to me,” she said.
“I had the biggest f**king LOL. It’s titled the world’s hottest truck driver, a little bit too much responsibility but I appreciate it.
“It’s like this Americanised montage of my life. It is gold.”
Ashlea said she had no experience prior to working in the mines.
She started in “utilities” where she juggled various roles including housekeeping, bar work, kitchen hand and security just to get her foot in the door.
“I will admit the pay was sh*t and it was really hard work,” she said.
“It’s so hot, there’s so many flies and it’s gross but I only did it for three months and it gave me the opportunity to get FIFO experience on my resume.”
Desperate to get into a better role, Ashlea said she was constantly calling a mining construction company until she got through to recruitment.
“It took about six phone calls over a few weeks,” she said, adding that “persistence” is key.
She was finally offered a traineeship, where she was able to learn a wide range of skills including truck driving, and operating machinery and equipment safely.
“The trucks are very easy to drive,” she said.
“I was fortunate enough to get in a truck driver traineeship for the dump trucks with a contractor and before I even went to the site they did a truck school at their head office in Perth.
“I did two weeks training and you learn all about the mine site, the different machines, and the truck itself.
“So being experienced, I was able to go through them and then they were able to send me directly to these sites.
“I felt confident after that, flying immediately to site and start driving the truck.”
Despite working in harsh conditions, Ashlea said having two weeks off every month makes the job rewarding.
“My number one reason for wanting to do FIFO was because I love to travel and … every single month I get two full weeks off,” she said.
“So even though the two weeks that I’m at work is really hard … I definitely glamorize it a little.
“And it’s not always like that, they’re really long days, you’re isolated from your friends and family, you’re tired constantly, it’s hot.
“There are just so many cons but even though that’s the case for me, I get two entire weeks off so it’s totally worth it.”
Before turning to the world of mining, Ashlea said she was working a normal 8-5 job – but she was still craving something way out of her comfort zone.
”Getting weekends off just wasn’t enough for me,” she added.
“I earn quite a lot more money doing FIFO so I find it easier to save money. One of my goals is to accumulate a few investment properties.
“I am getting a bit older and I would like to have children one day so I want to set myself up financially.
“So I do FIFO for the lifestyle, travel and set myself up financially for the future.”
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