Super Foods Ltd company owner George Mavumkal said Mr Cherukuri, who had worked for him for about five months as an account manager, was heading back to Auckland after visiting clients in Tauranga when the head-on collision happened.
"It was supposed to be me making the business trip to Tauranga but after he had finished all his work early and had a free day my employee offered to take my place," he said.
The company owner said he was in Palmerston North and heading to Wellington for business when he got the devastating news from police.
"He was a very nice boy and I really, really liked him. He was a highly qualified employee with a business degree, and he was a very careful driver," he said.
"We're a small close-knit company and it's been like losing a family member."
Mr Cherukuri, who was single and from India, had been living in New Zealand for a few years.
Mr Mavumkal said his wife and children and a good friend of Mr Cherukuri's were liaising with the family over funeral arrangements.
Calling Mr Cherukuri's family in India was one of the most difficult phone calls he has had to make, but he was not able to speak directly to his parents because they were too distraught, he said.
"When the time is right I hope to travel to India to meet with them," he said. Bay of Plenty Regional Council senior pollution prevention officer John Morris said the Priority Logistics truck was carrying approximately 20,000 litres of orange juice.
The impact caused the diesel tank and orange juice bladder to rupture onto the ground, alongside a roadside drain and down toward an unnamed stream.
The Fire Service was able to recover about 10,000 litres, which was taken for disposal.
Regional Council staff will be working with the trucking company to clean up the drain and check the surrounding area for contamination, Mr Morris said.
It is the second fatality on Western Bay roads this year - there were 16 deaths last year.
Western Bay road policing Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said he and his team were "gutted".
"It's been a very bad start to the year and there have been a large number of crashes on this particular part of the road corridor over the years.
"This is the eighth death in just over 12 months resulting from vehicles crossing the centreline on this stretch of road and I urge people to take extreme care," he said.
Mr Campion said it was still early days into the crash investigation but preliminary indications were that distraction or fatigue may have contributed.
Five people have died on this stretch of highway in the past six months, and 12 lives have been lost in the past seven years.
Local resident Peter Lynch and his wife, who live near the crash scene, said they were surprised there were crashes in this area because it was not a blind corner or a sharp bend but caution was needed because of the high volume of traffic.
Heading home from Bethlehem they chose not to make a right into their driveway, because it was "very dangerous" when faced with a large build-up of vehicles behind them, Mr Lynch said.
Resident Peter Guy said he had lived in the area for 11 years and in that time he and other residents had become increasingly concerned about the huge volume of traffic.
Mr Guy said because the road was quite narrow there was not a lot of room for error or room to turn off to the side with ease.
"It staggers me with all the money being poured into the Tauranga eastern bypass, why money isn't being spent on developing a four-lane highway with a median barrier in this area."
Police were still seeking witnesses to the crash and anyone with any information should phone Tauranga police on 577 4300 or call the Crimestoppers line anonymously on 0800 555 111.
