Josh Hart is out on the road every day in his bright pink Western Star with a message for all.
His truck has the slogans “Bullying stops here,” and “Kindness is one size fits all” emblazoned across the side.
It’s a message which is also part of October’s Pink Shirt Day and a time when Hart usually gets to visit a number of schools and events to talk about the issue.
Although a number of this year’s events have been cancelled due to Covid, the work still continues.
Hart, 23, suffered years of bullying at school which he says put him in a really dark place.
Bullying even continued when he first entered the workforce where he did some retail and some labouring.
He soon went on to gain his trucking licences and now works for his family business Hart Haulage doing earthmoving work between Auckland and Hamilton.
And he has now made it his mission to stand up to bullying once and for all.
He has been driving trucks for five years and the pink Western Star has been carrying the special message since 2017 when it was first designed.
Hart told TransportTalk it’s not only an important message to get out but something everyone can identify with.
“I know adults who have experienced bullying in their office and it’s not something everyone deals with but it’s not a minority problem either, it’s something everyone can relate to.
“The reason we painted the truck pink is because it’s something everyone looks at, it stands out and it starts the conversation and that’s what we wanted to do.
“It’s better having a billboard on the side of truck rather than handing out flyers,” Hart says.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with all kinds of people. A lot of people see the truck and so we get the conversation started.
“It’s quite cool to see people with their kids on side of road, with mum and dad explaining to them what’s being said on side of the truck.”
Hart says one of the best ways to tackle bullying is to talk about it with your mates or your peers.
“My message is very much to talk to people about it, whether it’s a boss, a workmate or whoever … the more people who you talk to about it, the less power people they have over you,” Hart says.
The pink Western Star is part of Hart Haulage’s earthmoving fleet of nine truck and trailer units which can be spotted moving between Auckland and Hamilton each day.
Last year, Hart was interviewed on TVNZ’s Seven Sharp about his story which drew a major public response. You can see the story here.
