Opinion

‘The lack of parking for trucks is a huge problem’

I’m like JFK – I’m a man on a mission in 2025! The three main things I want to raise awareness about are truck parking, obesity amongst truck drivers, and electronic work diaries.

I drive up and down the east coast delivering boats and the lack of parking for trucks is a huge problem.

Two of the worst places are BP Eastern Creek and BP Chinderah. They’ve started towing at Eastern Creek now but now what’s happening is all the bays for interstate drivers are being taken up by bobtail trucks.

The drivers are pulling the curtains, getting in their cars, and going home. They just use it as a base.

My second thing I want to campaign around is obesity in truck drivers. Having a healthy lifestyle is a mindset, and if you’re not prepared to change your mindset, nothing is ever going to happen.

But I also think it’s up to roadhouses and truck stops to not just think about their bottom line, and stop renting out spaces to Hungry Jacks and McDonald’s.

I’m really advocating for more truckies to get electronic work diaries – I think they should be mandatory.

Since I got one, I would never, ever go back to a paper logbook. My EWD gives me a 30-minute warning for my rest breaks, it tells me when I’ve got to have my seven day and 14 day rests, it does everything.

With an electronic logbook, you can’t cheat the system. If you can’t cheat the system, that’s going to stop fatalities. And if anyone does cheat the system, the judge should throw the book at them.

My main personal goal for 2025 is actually to retire. I’m 62 and I miss my family, being on the road all the time. I’m looking forward to spending more time with them.

  • Shane Boese is a truck driver at Express Boat Transport. This story is part of our 2025 New Year Wish Lists feature, in the January 17 issue of Big Rigs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend