Dusty Gillies, 54, first gained his interest in trucks while driving one off-road on a farm near Euroa in Victoria as a 14-year-old.
Today, he drives a 2013 Mack Trident for Yatala company Project Haulage and travels with his pet dog Sophie.
Like many other drivers Dusty reckons there are not near enough rest areas with facilities for drivers.
“At many you pull up and they are overflowing with caravans. When travelling to Mount Isa I stopped at one for a fatigue break and it was full so I had to drive on. I travel all around Australia,” he said.
He rates some highways in NSW as difficult to travel on and has several preferences for good roadhouses.
“The BP Cluden at Townsville and some along the Nullarbor Highway are great,” he said.
With so much attempted theft from trucks and trailers prevalent these days, Dusty says he has an ideal deterrent.
His beloved mutt may be small in size, but when anybody appears near Dusty’s truck it barks loudly to warn him.
I can attest to that after pulling up near Dusty deep in the tropics, as he sat in the cabin at a quiet section of the parking area at a huge north Queensland roadhouse.
“Sophie is a French bulldog cross and is a great companion to be with?” Dusty said.
“Will the dog bite me,” I asked Dusty. The answer was no, but the bark was enough for anybody nearby to hear.
Dusty barracks for the Richmond Tigers in the national AFL and even though they missed the finals series this season he had this to say. “They did win a lot a short time ago,” he said.
Dusty is absolutely right in his comments about not enough truck stops/bays
/rest areas nationwide.
In WA caravans are not the only issue. Safety is a major concern with theft & malicious damage making it a big problem the authorities seem unwilling to acknowledge let alone deal with. Companies refusing to buy/lease handstands or yards are using the rest areas for permanent parking, unroadworthy vehicles, storage & as maintenance yards obstructing access to trucks and oversize loads. Dumping of tyres, refuse, IBCs, oil drums etc is now the norm.
Many truck stops have been sold to international entities whose hygiene standards are appalling, have no regard for maintenance, or who simply close the toilet & shower facilities, and truckies’ lounges because they can’t be bothered cleaning them.