Mat from Diary of a Truck Driver tells us about driving Australia’s roads from the perspective of a truckie.
From Mornington, Victoria to Mossman, far north Queensland; Adelaide to the Alice; Darwin to Derby; Broome to Bunbury and across the paddock back to home there isn’t a city on the mainland I haven’t hauled a load into or out of.
I’m well on the way to having travelled every road in the country that isn’t a dirt track and I’ve done my share of those too.
I have a bricks-and-mortar home but mostly the road is my home and my office and every six weeks I eclipse the average driver’s annual mileage. My uniform is a blue singlet and thongs. I’m a truckie.
I started out five or six years ago. I was looking for a change of pace, too long in an office, I needed to get out again – and being a truckie was on my bucket list.
I got started hauling fertiliser around northern New South Wales before I moved on to general freight, mostly between Sydney and Brisbane up the New England Highway.
Eventually I progressed to the 26-metre B-Doubles and started hauling a little further afield. Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide were regular destinations along with various places in between. I’d average around 5000 kilometres a week, getting home late on Friday night and kicking off again on a Sunday afternoon.
The constant rush of express freight and being away from home six nights a week took their toll. Having earned my wings, so to speak, I took up an offer to drive the Heavy Haulage rigs for a Perth-based company.
I’m still based on the east coast, about an hour south of Tamworth but my commute to the office is around 4500 kilometres each way and it’s usually a slow haul with anything up to 50 tonnes sitting on the trailer and most loads are wider than the standard 2.5-metre ‘gauge’ width.
Truckies generally have a poor reputation. Greasy, belligerent bullies, tripping on ‘shakers’ and in a mad rush to make it to the next coffee pot. I’ll admit there is the odd copy book example still haunting the roads but generally they’re a good bunch of family-oriented boys and girls trying to earn a quid in a dangerous and hard job.
The view out my office window is generally great, but my factory floor – Australian roads – are a mess.
Poor road conditions and the constant melee of inexperienced road users focused on getting to their destination at all costs can make for an interesting day when you’re wielding a 60-tonne truck.
It takes time to pull up on the brakes and even longer to get going again. If you leave a safe distance in front everyone wants to get in it, ignorant of the possible dangers of cutting in front of a truck.
Heavy vehicles are all fitted with speed limiters and randomly checked by the authorities. Sure, there are a few that have been modified, but by and large we’re stuck at 100, maybe 102, with new tyres on. Modern cars by comparison will only be travelling at 95 or 98 when the needle climbs to the 100 kilometres/hour mark, leading to situations where trucks are presumed to be tailgating or exceeding the speed limit as they slip by on the highway.
One of the most frustrating aspects of sharing the road is to be following a vehicle doing 95. Then when an overtaking lane appears and you start to pass, the car accelerates due to a false confidence brought about by the wider road or a reluctance to be ‘stuck’ behind a truck, I’m not sure which – but the lane ends and I’m doing 95 again.
Caravans on the whole aren’t too bad despite the ill words directed their way. Often lethargic on the roads as their occupants soak up the view, they are generally predictable and maintain a constant pace facilitating easy passing when the opportunity presents itself.
Many caravanners now operate UHF radios either on the caravan channel (18) or up on channel 40 with the trucks (29 on the Pacific Highway and F3). Radios allow for good communication between drivers and information about hazards such as oncoming wide loads.
When overtaking a caravan it’s nice to see them hold a constant speed or better still to lift their foot a little. Often a van will drop off the road to allow a truck past, but assuming it’s a standard-width truck this is rarely required and usually results in a hail of stones being thrown at the truck. If the road allows, keep it all on the black and just ease off a bit. A quick flash of high beam once the truck has passed will let the driver know he’s safely past and will usually be acknowledged with a wig-wag ‘thank you’ of the blinkers.
In most states it’s illegal to have fog lights on unless visibility is poor, and no, darkness isn’t poor visibility. Often factory-fitted to new cars, fog lights may add to the car’s ability to see but they are too bright for oncoming traffic. Same goes when following a truck. I’ve got at least four large mirrors that reflect all the lights behind me straight at my face and can achieve a good tan when the car behind leaves their lights up.
Also, consider checking the alignment of your lights when you’re towing. Often a poorly loaded trailer with too much weight on the tow bar will make low beam as bad as high beam.
With a little education and consideration the roads can be shared and everyone gets home safely.
If you’re interested in finding out more about life on the road, truck style, then take a trip over to www.diaryofatruckdriver.com.au. Enjoy your travels as much as I do and I look forward to seeing you somewhere in the Great Southern Land.
What are your experiences with trucks on Australian roads?
Image credit: Heavy load, Mat Dockerty; the road, Tourism Queensland; caravan, Tourism Northern Territory
