No matter how challenging 2021 got, we could always rely on our long-time cartoonist, the incredibly talented Ryan Lee-Taylor of Blue Dog Cartoons to inject some much-needed humour into our pages.
Here’s a look back at a few of his favourites from the year.
February
Readers reacted with fair amount of irritation toward the news that the NHVR would soon be patrolling the roads with drones.
When a frustrated long-distance driver contacted us over concerns that he was being forced to wear a headband called the Life SmartCap as mandatory PPE during his shifts, you also weren’t shy about letting us know how you felt.
March-May
The NHVR was calling it the National Road Worthiness Survey, but it sure sounded a lot like your everyday compliance blitz to us, only on a much larger scale.
June
The ability of the Inland Rail project – a 1700km freight rail line connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via reigonal Victoria, NSW and Queensland – to dramatically reduce truck movements was a hot topic of discussion at the Inland Rail Conference in Albury-Wodonga.
A new NHVR education campaign kicks off aiming to highlight the health and safety risks caused by illegal engine remapping.
August
We asked readers to let us know where they stand on getting vaccinated against Covid, through a poll we published on our Facebook page. Over 1100 readers responded, with 43 per cent voting ‘Yes, I am getting the jab’ and 57 per cent voting ‘No thanks, not for me’.
October
Government agencies approve millions in funding to help the introduction of five hydrogen-powered road trains in Townsville in 2022.
Even in the darkest depths of the lockdown, Ryan still found a way to make us smile, this time with a clever trucking angle on the two footy grand finals.