Based in Melbourne, 77-year-old truckie Bob Rule gets to follow the Supercars Championship circuit across the country. This week he chatted to Big Rigs while up north for the 2022 NTI Townsville 500, which starts today.
Part of the Supercars Championship program, the NTI Townsville 500 is an action-packed weekend that runs from July 8 to 10.
Rule drives a 2002 Renault Magnum, hauling Michelin Tyres for each of the races on the Supercars calendar. He says he loves his job – and who could blame him?
“I have just been to Darwin and the road up there in the Northern Territory is great – better than in Queensland,” he said.
Rule also reckons the Victorian roads around Horsham require a lot of care when negotiating them.
As for roadhouses he likes stopping at when he gets the chance, Rule said the Spuds Roadhouse in Pimba, South Australia, is definitely one that stands out.
Pimba is a small settlement about 480 kilometres north of Adelaide and it offers a range of services and facilities from a service station.
“It is a ripper of a roadhouse with good meals,” Rule said.
I asked Rule if he thought there were enough rest areas for truckies around the country and he said, “We don’t stop at many as we stay in motels.”