TikTok truckie hopes to end ‘us vs them’ attitude towards NHVR

Truckie turned social media star Aaron Farquhar has said he wants to end the ‘us vs them’ mentality that many heavy vehicle drivers have towards the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

Farquhar, who has 89,000 followers on Facebook and 55,300 on TikTok under the name “Aaron, the Typical Trucker”, is known for his comedic videos that share a glimpse into trucking life, as well as some more serious content around mental health and safety.

Now he says one of his major goals is teaming up with the NHVR to develop a better relationship between the regulator and the trucking community.

“I want to collaborate with them so that they can understand what’s going on in our heads, and we can understand what’s going on in their heads,” he said.

“For a lot of years, it’s been ‘us vs them’, and it shouldn’t be that way.

“I want to try to close the gap, so we can work together to make the roads safer.”

Farquhar thinks many drivers are unfair in their attitude towards the NHVR.

“A lot of truckies have had bad experiences with inspectors in the past, so there is a stigma towards them.

“If drivers get pulled up on something, they get caught up in being defensive instead of learning from it.”

The western Sydney native, who transports cars between dealerships for automotive logistics company PrixCar, said most of his interactions with NHVR inspectors have been pleasant.

“I’ve been pulled over into weighbridges a lot recently, and almost every inspector I’ve met has been an absolute champion,” he said.

“I think in the last few years they have changed their approach, and they are not just picking on us.

“However, there are some assholes. I had a go at one guy outside of Melbourne who just had a bad attitude.

“I told him that if he wanted the respect of drivers, he was going to have to treat us a lot better.”

For the most part, Farquhar thinks the regulator’s rules are there to keep everyone safe.

“A lot of the drivers who whinge about the NHVR are the ones that are doing the wrong thing or driving unsafe trucks,” he said.

“That’s not always their fault, it could be the company’s fault, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s putting people in danger.”

However, he thinks there are some instances where the NHVR could be more lenient.

“Back in the day, if you had an error in your logbook, the inspector determines whether you deliberately falsified information, or whether it was an honest mistake.

“You’d get a warning and you’d be more careful next time.

“Whereas now there’s more ‘gotcha’ revenue raising.”

In Farquhar’s opinion, highway patrol is worse than the NHVR when it comes to dishing out fines, but he thinks a fairer system is needed.

“Usually, the NHVR is understanding if you’re over by 15 minutes in your logbook, or something like that – but not always.

“With one little mistake, you could lose your wages for the whole week.

“Fines like that can really hurt drivers, especially with the cost of living these days.”

He hopes that collaborating with the NHVR could help address issues like these.

“I’ve got a mate that’s an inspector at a weighbridge, and he showed me an email that was sent from the NHVR head office all around the country.

“It was one of my videos, and it urged inspectors to watch it and read the comments.

“Through my page, they can see what’s really bugging drivers – and that can help them understand where we’re coming from.”

He wants to clarify that first and foremost, he’s on the side of the truckies.

“I want to protect the drivers, limit their chances of getting fines and fatigue breaches, and just try and make things better out there for them.

“There are a lot of inexperienced and unsafe drivers on our roads, who need to be trained properly.

“I want to help, because I’m sick of seeing people dying because of dangerous behaviour on the roads.”