Big Rigs

The Clarendon Kenworth Klassic is a weekend where proud owners of the marque (and other brands) come together to meet new and old friends, to laugh and to make merry. But amongst the fun and frivolity a T360 KW pulls in with an agitator on the back. And that Agi is adorned with blue butterflies and the words: Dolly’s Dream – Speak Even if Your Voice Shakes. The truck belongs to Matt Lynch and his Nowra-based Eziway Concrete and stands out, not only because it gleams, but more so for its message.

PJ Jose from Mount Buffalo, Victoria, has spent the past 16 years behind the wheel and says driving trucks is all he ever wanted to do. PJ currently drives for PC Freight Services, carting general freight, with plenty of his work involving timber coming out of sawmills. These days you’ll find him behind the wheel of a Kenworth 409 SAR, but his passion for trucks started when he was just a kid. “All I wanted to do since I was a kid was drive trucks. I’ve always had a passion for them,” PJ said.

Western Australia’s peak road transport body is calling for civilian freight networks and defence logistics to be planned together to help protect vulnerable supply routes ahead of the high-risk wet season. The Western Australian Transport Industry Association (WATIA) says increasingly frequent disruptions to long-distance freight corridors supplying western and northern Australia are threatening communities and businesses while pushing up costs.

Experienced truckie Kylie Robinson readily admits she should have entered the open weighbridge near Willow Tree on the New England Highway earlier this year. But at the time, focused on other trucks coming and going from the southbound lanes – and the fact she wasn’t specifically called in, as is the case in Queensland – she simply “sailed on by”. “As soon as I got to that exit gate, I thought, ‘Oh shit, I was supposed to go in there’,” Robinson told Big Rigs.

Freight operators are urged to prepare for increased traffic during the 1000, with more motorists and the ongoing Great Western Highway repairs likely to compound congestion and disruption along the Victoria Pass detour. Road Freight NSW said reviewing schedules, setting realistic delivery windows and preparing for longer journeys would help the freight community manage this week’s Bathurst event safely.

Image: Tash Hughes This cool pic was snapped among the Desert Oaks in Central Australia. We’ll choose a pic to appear in our Facebook cover slot, and will publish some of the best pics in our upcoming print edition of Big Rigs where you now also have a chance to win a $500 Shell Coles Express Gift Card.

A national plan to tackle Australia’s truck driver shortage proposes better training support, clearer apprenticeship pathways and practical measures to address the conditions driving truckies out of the industry. The National Heavy Vehicle Driver Action Plan is scheduled for official launch by Senator Glenn Sterle at Industry Skills Australia’s Supply Chain Leaders’ Summit in Sydney on Thursday, October 8.

Held over the weekend at Perth Motorplex, on Sunday October 4, Camp Quality Convoy Perth attracted a record number of trucks, while raising money for a very worthy cause. A whopping 235 trucks hit the road, with thousands of spectators cheering them on from the sidelines before making their way to this year’s new venue for the Family Festival. Leading the pack was Dan Ross, who secured the coveted #1 Lead Truck spot, after raising $42,579.

As the grain harvest season begins, more trucks, farm machinery and heavy vehicle movements are expected on rural and regional roads in the coming weeks. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has cited favourable rainfall and growing conditions in the lead up this season, particularly in South Australia and Victoria. In South Australia, the first barley harvest has already been delivered to the Eyre Peninsula; while in Victoria, the season’s harvest is expected to get underway very soon.

Over $1.74 billion will be invested in three key New South Wales road corridors to improve safety and make journeys more efficient, however the freight industry is calling for a clear timeline on when these works will actually be delivered.