As the grandfather of twin grandchildren with autism, this long-time Ross Transport driver was thrilled to learn of the design of his new truck and dog.
Based at Port Kembla, NSW, the Kenworth T610 truck and dog hit the road around two weeks ago, with Billy Gaudie, 56, behind the wheel. He’s been at Ross Transport since 2009.
Adorned with the autism awareness ribbon and jigsaw puzzle, along with the words “Autism is my superpower”, the combination has been turning heads as it delivers locally, and into Melbourne and country NSW.
The idea for the truck came from a fellow truck driver, who is also good friends with Gaudie, after he saw an autism awareness truck while on an interstate run into Brisbane.
When he made the suggestion to management, they loved the idea and called Gaudie to see what he thought. His immediate response was, “Yes, I love it!”
“We have quite a lot of unique trucks in our fleet and typically do a lot of cartoon trucks. When we rang Billy and told him of the idea, he loved it and got a bit emotional on the phone,” said True Ross-Sawrey, manager at Ross Transport.
“There are quite a few people in the business who have children or loved ones with autism, so it’s something a lot of people are affected by and can relate to. We’ve chosen to support Autism Awareness Australia in support of Billy, because we know of some of the challenges his family has been through.”
Gaudie’s grandchildren, Jordan and Ethan, are big fans of Ross Transport’s trucks. The previous rig he drove was a “superhero” truck, which also featured the twins’ names on it. “They loved that truck and would come in and get photos with it. We’re planning on adding their names to this new truck too,” revealed Ross-Sawrey.
To donate to Autism Awareness Australia please click here.