The Hauler might be used to being alone all the time, but he loves the company of the mercenaries, even if he has to adjust to having so many people around him! He's guilty of being overwhelmed easily, and won't hesitate to take time for himself if he needs it... obviously, Sniper is an exception to this rule, and he welcomes his company any time he is willing to give it.

Trucking can be a lonely road... if you're alone. But thankfully, Hauler has a little pug named Squash that can always be found trotting right beside him (or perhaps in a backpack that Engineer is currently field-testing...)! Since Hauler spends just as much time away from the base as he does at it, it's convenient to have a permanent traveling companion. It helps that she's a hit with the mercs and miss Pauling, too.

Of course, Hauler also favors spending time with the team's Sniper; whether it's soaking in the sunshine and lounging on top of Sniper's camper, enjoying an evening drive together or snuggling in either one of their humble (but homey) quarters, Hauler's at his happiest when Mundy is around! While he doesn't like to admit it, physical affection is Hauler's love language, and he enjoys contact with the Aussie sharp-shooter any way he can! Typically, Sniper isn't a very physically-affectionate person given his past as a recluse, but he's always perfectly content to throw an arm around Hauler or rest his hand on his lower back... or in the back pocket of his jeans!

Before Teufort

Hauler left home due to "conflicts", and he doesn't like to talk about it. He no longer speaks with his parents and is completely disconnected from his family. Squash is the only friend he has before Teufort, and he's content to be alone in that way. While Hauler doesn't actively seek out companionship, that doesn't mean he's rude! Always being interested in trucking, he discovered that he could fudge his resume a little bit and do long hauling, full time. The money was decently good, but hopping to and from hotels was eating into his profits. Looking for a tractor trailer that had a sleeping bunk was with little success; they were all far out of his meager price range. However, one night in a bar, Hauler was offered a deal for a "piece of junk" semi... that happened to have more than enough room for a trucker and a pug. Quickly accepting the deal, Hauler and Squash drove out of the town that night, getting the truck registered in his name as soon as the sun was up. The rest was history! Hauler affectionately named his truck Big Red, and set out to upkeeping her to the best of his ability. Big Red's gas turbine mechanics didn't take Hauler long to figure out; one man's trash was truly another's treasure!

RED vs. BLU

When Hauler was hired on full-time by miss Pauling to haul goods for MANN CO., he still had his reservations about accepting a job so suddenly. Part of what Hauler loved about his job was the ability to travel freely as he pleased, and while he was allowed more freedoms than the mercenaries, he was still under fairly strict rules. He wasn't to haul any cargo other than MANN CO. shipments, and if he was to leave the base for personal reasons, Big Red's trailer(s) were to be left in care of MANN CO. to ensure Hauler wouldn't run off. Violation of his contract resulted in death, just like the merc's. Hauler isn't a mercenary and isn't to be harmed by either team, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to defend himself. With the help of Spy and Engineer, Hauler quickly got over the shell-shock of the hostility involving his first job. They helped him get acclimated to the demands of the job, and Hauler found respite in working on his rig with Engineer (and eventually Sniper) on their shared time off.

The Administrator's Disappearance + TF Comics

After the team was disassembled, Hauler took miscellaneous trucking jobs to keep food on the table, but always hoped he'd eventually hear from Pauling again. Pauling calls Hauler to ask about Sniper's whereabouts, as the two were in a long-distance relationship when he had to return to Australia to tend to the loss of his family.

The Hauler and The Sniper

Hauler was on his way back to the base from making a delivery when he got a radio transmission from Teufort, requesting a pickup. The trucker had come to expect the unexpected when working for MANN CO., but this was to be his first time picking up... a mercenary. And a van. Apparently, the Sniper had broken down on the way to do the team's regular provision-run, and Engineer was evidently too busy to get him. Together, Hauler and Sniper were able to push his van into Big Red's trailer and head for Teufort to get the food and supplies from in-town. While the trip started off a bit quiet and awkward, but when Sniper complimented Big Red in passing, Hauler opened up and the two began talking about how they live their lives in their vehicles, where it led them, living-on-the-road mishaps, and so on. It was going so smoothly that Sniper invited Hauler to accompany him on the errand-running! They talked about keeping pets on the road, their nomadic lifestyles, food, and their jobs, the Aussie answering a lot of Hauler's questions about the base and the mercs. Sniper found himself surprised at how talkative he was being, but figured it was becuase they both led similar nomadic lifestyles before their jobs at Teufort.

Their relationship might be unconventional to some: long-distance at times, followed by weeks of being attached at the hip, then no contact again... it's not easy! It simply depends on the demands of both of their (very demanding) jobs, which unfortunatley must come first! Both of them know that each other's obligations are priority, but they still have a healthy, happy relationship regardless! They love to playfully banter and tease one another, and while they might be a bit shy as a couple around the other mercs, Sniper is quick to let Hauler know how much he loves him when they're alone! They take turns staying in one another's trucks, and often find one another's clothing mixed in with their own! Neither of them mind, though; if Sniper isn't around to warm his bed himself, Hauler sleeps with one of his shirts that smells like him!

• His favorite kind of bread is honey molasses with oats on top, but he's passionate about just about any and all kinds of food. If you're cooking, he'd love to eat! He especially loves spicy foods, though.
• While it's Hauler's dream to take a vacation (he's never gone on one before), he's content to browse through tourism catalogues and daydream! He collects tacky souvineers from just about anywhere, but tropical-style button-ups are his favorite (or kitschy Australia souvineers Sniper sends him when the team disbands). His idea of a good time is a quiet night in where he can read, listen to music or watch television and eat a greasy meal!
• He has body hair (underarms, legs, and a little on his breasts) and is proud of it, but is self conscious about his curves. Sometimes he wears binders, and sometimes not, it just depends on his mood! He secretly loves to dress up, but his job seldom ever lets him; typically, he's clad in a tanktop (traditional or turtleneck) or a tourist-style button-up, and high-waisted jeans or carhartts (pants or overalls)! Well-worn cowboy boots or steel-toe shoes accompanied by some work gloves round out his practical look!
• Hauler's hair is basically a mullet, with flashes of natural gray at his temples and just to the right of his widow's peak. His hair is typically worn slicked back, but his troublesome gray strand by his widow's peak seems to always curl forward, no matter how much pomade he uses! He also has a septum piercing.
• Love language is physical touch! Hauler will stand closely by Sniper or the other mercs, or give Demoman a friendly clap on the back when he sees him! Of course, he always minds folks' boundaries, but he enjoys physical contact whether it's romantic or platonic!
• Hauler is forklift certified! He often unloads the goods he brings to the base for the mercs and Pauling.
• Just because Hauler isn't a merc doesn't mean he can't have some fashion-fun with MANN CO.'s finest! Hauler's hats of choice include bucket, visor, and planter's styles! He also has a range of tourism-based and pug cosmetics! His favorite animals are cows and sheep (and he already has the septum ring like a bull's!), so his Halloween cosmetics/costume take direct inspiration from bovine themselves!

Sealing the Deal

The Hauler's truck, affectionately named Big Red, is his bread and butter, purchased with money he scraped together in a hurry in response to a shady deal he was offered in a bar. The truck was sleek, big, and everything a young trucker could ever want! Naive to all of the potential reasons someone would want to sell something so pretty so cheap, he took the deal and began his career as a cross-country truck driver. Hauler first came in contact with MANN CO. when he signed on to move expensive, highly-coveted (and very secret) shipments from Bee Cave, Texas to some base in the middle of the New Mexico Badlands.

Hauler wasn't told the details, and did not ask, simply doing his job and delivering the goods as told. That delivery wasn't without difficulty, though: multiple attempts on his life was made, which wasn't necessarily anything new in his line of work: truck jackings were fairly commonplace. Hauler was in fact quite surprised to be met with a young woman by the name of Miss Pauling at the gate, along with a man known as the Engineer. Pauling offered Hauler a full-time job trucking with MANN CO., and he and Engineer became fast friends, bonding over their love for automobiles. Engineer was certainly fascinated by Hauler's truck once he got a look at it!

Big Red's Design

Big Red is a 1964 Ford semi truck. Unbeknownst to Hauler (but known to a select few mercenaries), this specific model was testing the waters for the possibility of using its unique gas-turbine technology to power military-grade weapons not limited to semi trucks. Engineer sees Pauling's file on the Hauler when he agrees to transport his family machines from Texas to the base, and immediately recognizes the truck's potential for his own technological advancements. Because of Big Red's special design, Hauler had no choice but to expertly learn the ins and outs of the strange truck, since it doesn't run on diesel (but costs about the same to operate). As it turned out, Big Red was stolen and then flipped quickly to Hauler, when the theives were unable to figure out how to get it working and operate it effectively. Their loss, Hauler's gain!

Hauler's truck grants amazing visibility due to its freestanding console and even comes with cruise control. Big Red has a passenger seat of the same design that a small dog bed sits in for Squash (or sometimes one of the mercs)! The driver cab also doubles as Hauler's home; behind the steering wheel and front passenger seat are a small fridge, hot-plate, and a concealed lavatory. A door leads to a compact loft bed with a small desk beneath it. Because of its retro-futuristic design, it features lots of handy pull-out and space saving utilities like a table and seating, but since Hauler rarely has company, these are seldom used. The driver cabin is able to detach from its trailers if Hauler wants to make commutes without Big Red's trailers attached, such as going to the store for the mercs or running errands.

Friends of Big Red

After beginning work for MANN CO. full time, Hauler treats Big Red to tinted windows and bullet-resistant fittings. He lets Engineer pop open her hood and the two of them work on her together often, Engineer being excited about Big Red's technology. Naturally, this draws Spy to the vehicle; he's a man who needs to be in the know, after all! At first, Hauler is skeptical, but eases up once Spy assures them he'll do nothing nefarious with what he observes. Sniper, despite owning a vehicle himself, knows surprisingly little about the upkeep of his own van, so Hauler always offers to give his van a tune-up, free of charge!

Sniper, Engineer and Hauler's precious vehicles are frequently seen parked in (or around) Engineer's workshop, with Sniper scratching his head as he listens to Hauler and Engineer speak jargon about mechanics... at least he uses the time to efficently make eyes at his beloved Hauler; he thinks he looks cute when he talks about his truck so passionately. Sniper gives Big Red (and his own van) some credit in the start of their relationship when he confesses to taking his camper to the Hauler for non-existent "repairs", or asking questions and making small talk about the big truck to bond with Hauler and see his face light up more and get closer to him.

The Payload

The Hauler essentially serves as a payload; he is not a mercenary and does not formally fight with the mercs. It is the mercenaries' jobs to keep the path clear for the Hauler to "drive" (mercs move the payload just as they would in any other map by staying close to it) their delivery to the base. Every so often, they will also be healed if they keep close to the payload. Mercenaries are able to fight both atop and beneath the truck and trailer by jumping or crouching, as well as hold onto the back and sides and "hitch a ride" with Hauler! Depending on what team they're pulling for, their truck name changes: for RED team, it's "Big Red" (lore default), and for BLU, it's "Baby Blu". He doesn't have RED and BLU counterparts himself, though; there's just one Hauler!

Battlefield Quirks

What makes the Hauler different than your regular, run-of-the-mill bomb cart? Glad you asked! While this payload certainly can't be destroyed, it can be slowed down! The more damage Hauler's truck takes, the slower the payload moves. Mercenaries can remedy this by sticking close and "repairing" it if they've got an Engineer handy; nothing a few whacks with his wrench won't fix! If Hauler's hauler is kept in good health for most of the match, he might surprise you by taking shots at the enemy team once and a while (and maybe landing a random crit)! Once the payload starts moving, Hauler will occasionally roll his window down and wave a hand, pump his fist, or do some other kind of affirmative gesture. Time to roll! When approaching the payload destination, Hauler will honk his horn, letting both teams know they're getting close to the end of the line.