Truckie Profiles

Need for more rest areas

Veteran truck driver Arty Ruttley had picked up a load of cement in Townsville bound for a western mine when Big Rigs saw him.

He was driving a Kenworth 909 for Gladstone based B&K Haulage when he stopped at the Townsville Port Access Road.

Whilst he loves the job, Ruttley said truckies could do with a lot more rest areas.

“There just are not enough rest areas, especially ones which are good for us drivers,” he said.

Ruttley doesn’t stop at many roadhouses except to fuel up. “I carry most of my meals, prepared by my wife and have a gas burner with me to cook on,” he said.

When he gets some time off Ruttley makes use of his African Twin 1000cc motorbike.

He rates the Alpha to Emerald Road as amongst the worst he gets along. “Also the Belyando Road between Charters Towers and Clermont and the Julia Creek to Cloncurry section of the Flinders Highway are bad,” he said.

Drizzling rain was falling as we yarned and later that day the heavens opened, dropping 100mm on parts of Townsville.

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