Much travelled truckie Lynton Bruce was deep in the tropics at Townsville when Big Rigs saw him taking a well earned break, far away from home.
Based in Adelaide, he works for M&C Meaney Transport which is in Korunye in SA and was driving a 2013 Kenworth Director Series number 39 – and loves it.
Bruce was glowing in his praise of his boss Joel who he said ensured all company trucks were in tip top shape. “Joel makes sure they are well maintained and I feel really safe and I also make sure it is clean when I can,” he said.
“I travel all over Australia and enjoy life as a truckie,” Bruce said. “I have brought up stock lick for Townsville Port and am waiting for a backload for Kununurra in the NT,” he said.
His favourite roadhouse is the Caltex Stuart Wells which is 80km south of Alice Springs.
“I have been a driver since I was 18. The people at that roadhouse are so friendly and used to run another one at Pimba in SA,” he said without revealing his age at first.
He later repented and told me he was a young 53 and who could argue with that.
Although he was super friendly, he was not afraid to express his opinions on the good and bad of the road transport industry.
When asked to nominate the worst road he travels on the lad had this to offer. “The Burke to Moree stretch in NSW is dreadful in places,” he said.
Bruce doesn’t use an electronic log book and is passionate about authorities providing more truckie friendly rest areas.
On this subject which is important to all truckies Lynton didn’t just call a spade a spade, but a shovel.
“We need rest areas where we can have a piddle and a number two and there isn’t anywhere near enough of them,” he said.
Although when asked to declare one which meets his standards, Bruce gladly obliged.
“The Dingo Hill rest area south of Katherine in the NT – you can have a call of nature there,” he said.
Bruce said he enjoys driving to many remote places in the NT, WA and SA and gets to meet many interesting people along the way.
You could tell by the big smile on his face just how much this enthusiastic truckie enjoys his work.