It is quite a contrast from a petrol-powered Dodge horse truck to a current spec Kenworth T909 with a quad fridge van, but it reflects the continual evolution of transport over the last 44 years, the length of time in which Mick Dwyer has been running the highways and outback tracks around Australia.
Of all the people working in road transport and its associated industries I have chatted to in putting together content for Big Rigs over the years, it would be hard to find a person with a cheerier and more affable outlook on life than Troy Harris.
Despite it being well into late spring, a jumper and a beanie were still necessary attire for Daryl Hutton as he was about to commence another day’s work in the north-east Victorian high country, with the sun yet to break through over the hilltops.
“I think the handpiece on the UHF might just about melt today,” quipped Ken Crockett as he anticipated plenty of radio and vehicular traffic along some of the remote roads and bush tracks in the Victorian high country.
Brett Macklin is doing the rounds of his B-double with an iron bar in his hands, checking all the tyres on his 19-metre log trailers after a run down Dunstan’s Road to Nariel in the upper reaches of north-eastern Victoria.
It has just gone 8.30am and Craig Radford works his way up through the gears as he heads out of the little town of Benambra in a remote corner of the north-east Victorian alpine region, with another long day hauling timber on the schedule.
“The Volvo runs during the week as that finances the dreams I have for all the old stuff,” said Alby Twyford, referring to his collection of heritage trucks which are tucked away in a shed near Bega, just inland from the NSW south coast.
Transport and agriculture in Australia have had a long association since the earliest days with both industries reliant on each other to help the nation prosper and move forward. Read more
It was a tough choice to leave a secure job after 12 years, but this hard-working Victorian livestock carrier is glad he took the plunge.