Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Youngster Jay qualifies to drive dump truck at just 13

Jay Currie of Cullen, Moray, passed his test to follow in the footsteps of his brother and father.

Emma Lawson
Thursday 22 December 2022 00:01 GMT
Jay Currie at the wheel of a dump truck (Paul Campbell/PA)
Jay Currie at the wheel of a dump truck (Paul Campbell/PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A 13-year-old Scot who has been fascinated with dump trucks from an early age has become one of the youngest people ever qualified to drive them.

Jay Currie from Cullen, Moray, has become one of the youngest, trained, articulated dump truck drivers after gaining his Construction Plant Competence Scheme articulated dump truck red card.

The youngster is following in the footsteps of his brother, Jamie, who also trained as an operator in the UK after gaining his card in 2020, when he was also aged just 13.

Jay sat the test on his 13th birthday and passed with a score of 49/50.

He said: “I have always been fascinated with big dump trucks since a young age. 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.”

Passion for diggers run in the family: Jay’s dad, James is the director of Currie Contractors Cullen Ltd.

He is looking forward to one day working on commercial sites with his sons.

Jay added: “I would like to encourage other people like me to follow in my footsteps or similar as it can provide a great career path and it can make their CV look better when applying for a job.”

Callum Mackintosh, of the Scottish Plant Owners Association, said: “What a fantastic achievement by Jay and what a duo him and his brother are. Laying the foundations for a career in plant at 13 is admirable.”

He added: “Careers in plant are well worth considering and I look forward to seeing where Jay’s future takes him.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in