SRH Milk Haulage's Blair Harvey is Maitland through and through

Growing up in Aberglasslyn and Melville, Ms Harvey went to school at St Patrick's Lochinvar and St Joseph's Lochinvar, before joining her family business - as long as she agreed to get her TAFE qualifications as well.

Celebrating 13 years at SRH this month, Ms Harvey has played a part in the business's expansion into Western Australia and Victoria, and has seen the fleet grow from one truck and trailer to 70 trucks and 115 tankers.

Ms Harvey and her partner, Tom, have an 18-month-old daughter, Maisie, who keeps them on their toes.

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"She is a busy little girl and very loved, being the first grandchild on both sides," Ms Harvey said.

At SRH, Ms Harvey is 'the fixer', where as operations manager she makes sure things run as smooth as possible from admin to logistics, to the workshop.

Working alongside her parents, Ms Harvey said she won't lie - it's challenging some days but she wouldn't want it any other way.

"From an early age I watched how hard both mum and dad worked which instilled me with the same work ethic," she said.

"Working alongside them and being able to be a part of making the business what it is today makes me proud of our whole team."

A big advocate for supporting small businesses, Ms Harvey said supporting local and small is how towns survive.

"Most of the farms we pick up are family owned and operated," she said.

"In recent years with the long drought there were a lot of family owned farms that had to shut down which was very sad to see; generations of dairy farming coming to an end.

"Supporting local businesses is how towns survive, and they can get their name out there to hopefully expand their business."

Ms Harvey said an issue affecting her industry right now was a driver shortage.

"Currently there are a lot of businesses, especially trucking businesses that are chasing staff as there is a driver shortage," she said.

"If anyone is thinking of a career change, look into getting a truck license because it's a job that could send you all over Australia."

Ms Harvey said she has never left Maitland and can't see herself living anywhere else.

"I had a great life growing up around Maitland and met some amazing people," she said. "I want that for my daughter."

Although Maitland has had rapid growth, Ms Harvey said the community spirit is still as strong as ever.

"Even though Maitland is a big town now, no matter what happens you will always know someone who can help out," she said. "I have been involved in business, netball, football and agricultural groups in Maitland and they all have one thing in common: it's not a competition, all they care about is achieving their goals."