Introduction.
I first became involved in road safety in 1999 following one of those days on the road, when you really wonder where people get their licenses, out of Weet Bix packets or do they simply not care about their lives or those of anyone else? After sleeping for the night at Narrabri and only being on the road 15 minutes and not even up to highway speed, I and the car behind me, were overtaken by another car with two unrestrained children in the back with an approaching b-double heading towards us less than 200 metres away. I was in a b-double fuel tanker and both b-doubles went off the road onto the shoulder to allow the stupid motorist to safely get through.

Later that same day being fully loaded and coming down off a hill onto a narrow bridge, I flashed the oncoming F250 Ford as if to say, “Back off just a bit and I will be off the bridge before you come on”. No way. This bloke kept coming and we met before I came off the bridge and to this day, I believe I missed that vehicle and the bridge posts by millimetres. Had he just lifted his foot off the accelerator for less than 20 seconds, I would have been clear and the possibility of a crash would have been completely avoided. So I pulled up for my break and thought, “What can I do to lessen these problems?” and have been involved since.

All drivers and truckies particularly, can regale you with horror stories of crashes and near misses, most of which need not have happened, nor the risk have even occurred, had the motorist simply respected the size and weight of the larger truck. This is not about might is right, it is simple physics. As a pedestrian, you would not step out in front of a bus and simply expect it to stop because you are there. And yet everyday, car drivers who have perhaps not been taught to share the road with trucks, will pull directly out in front of a fully loaded semi or b-double and expect them to stop dead.

If through the information on these pages, one of these crashes or lives lost can be prevented, then my efforts will have been worthwhile. I make no claims to be perfect, we are all (at least supposedly) human, but not all drivers are equal and some have simply been taught to pass a test, not to spend the rest of their lives on the road, let alone to share those roads with large trucks. Fatal crashes between cars and trucks are over 70% the fault of the car driver according to crash statistics. This only confirms to me that we do need better education of car drivers about sharing the road with trucks. There is no doubt that truckies have to earn the respect their vehicles deserve and do their part to improve road safety as well.

I have now travelled in excess of 6 million kilometres on the road in vehicles from cars up to triple roadtrains and still see such foolhardy acts on the highway that risk my life and that of others. If all drivers treated people in other vehicles as if they were a member of their own family, do you think that would change some of the impatience and risky behaviours? Perhaps not a bad way to look at your time on the road. Is it your children as learners, your wife or partner in the next car, or your ageing parents going a bit steady? Either way, would you risk their lives to save yourself two minutes? I hope not, but it is up to you!

Having returned Ken’s truck, I then went back to RPT truck 7 for another year, then in 2011 Rod Pilon Transport bought a new K200 bigcab, the first in the fleet and I designed a new set of curtains that Rod never saw till I turned up with them fitted. There are few companies that would allow a driver to do this and I thank Rod Pilon for his support since the start and through now to his son Ben.

I had that white K200 for just short of ten years, did over 2 million k in it and it is still on the road with yet another Rod, driving it. The original curtains from the first TIV are on another set of RPT trailers, so they too are still putting out a good view and industry promotion as they travel the highways. TIV 2 served me very well, but now there is TIV 3 and likely the last, we will see.

June 2017 Audiobooks For The Road
I have started a facebook page to provide reviews of books I read, sometimes up to 3 a week and to seek your comments and reviews as well. I was recently invited to be a judge for audiobook of the year and want to let people know of the entertainment you can get on long trips from audiobooks. Click Here to read more.
Links to the ABC interview and Sydney Morning Herald article.

November 2025 Latest Blog Post. A week of pressure. Listen on Spotify
Goodaye all, well Happy Birthday to my eldest daughter Kelly, home for just under 24 hours, but got to take her out for tea with most of the Dubbo based family, at least, before off to work again before noon.

So a week of pressure, Monday morning, tried to find an air leak, no joy, off to load and towards Brissie. Thought I heard a noise, pulled up at Captains Mountain, check the steer bearings, though it steered fine, all good there, but noticed the rear drive axle not exactly where it should be, MMMMM. After midnight, so to bed but did not sleep perfectly, up in the morning to ring workshop, drop trailers to remove chassis plate, to find one of the diff alignment rods had a broken bolt.

Monday was also a four wanker day, two who overtook me when they could not see enough road to do so safely, luckily no one had the afront to come the other way and hit and kill them and two who pulled out across the front of me to save a second and risk their lives, one I could have nearly taken a layer of paint off!

“Trucks on the run” came out from Toowoomba, brought a spare, rebolted, the other bolt bent but they had brought two, four actually and a rod just in case, but seem to have saved it before major damage. Off to Brissie, first drop OK, second had been informed I had an issue and said be in by 3.30 or rebook for the next day. Got there at 2.45, got in driveway just thinking A, this is tight and someone had already run over the armco and B, this does not look b-double friendly, but had asked can we get a double in there and told think so.

In to say, sorry, I am the truck that was delayed, no worries, when the other truck leaves you can come in, “I am in a b-double” got the reply, “We don’t take b-doubles here, we have told them before” Well sorry, but I am in your driveway and there is nowhere else to go but in. In the end we compromised, I did some reversing practice into the warehouse as there was not enough room to turn round, then unloaded, thanked them for their understanding, got out and rang both ends of the chain to say, “Don’t send a double there again.”

Back to the Brissie depot in time to do the first live Truckie Tuesday on you tube with Luke and Kelsey and callers, have tea and to bed. BUT! Off to load the next morning, first pick up and second went OK, to get a call, we have a plan for you. I haven’t even left Brissie yet and they wanted a load time for Thursday to be back in Brissie Friday. Seems someone else had possibly missed or not been able to do this load and then we got it.

Still good, storm out of Brisse, terrific early tea at Fisher Park roadhouse, thanks Jen and Frank as always, chat with a couple of other drivers and off to Wee Waa and a good nights sleep. Up in the morning, later opening at this place to others there, so time lost before I even start. I rang, having set the load time the day before and said I would not make the timeslot in Brissie, can you please move it back. Yes, straight through to load, near 6 hours used already, back to Dubbo for fuel and tea and a run up to Bellata and up on hours and still a way to go.

Extra news had come through, the second drop, last time 11.45, so not going to make that either, but Brisbane depot could, if I could get to the first drop, split and they would take the A trailer. Long story, shorter, made it and before storm, into dock and A trailer away, redo induction to have a driver come and thank me for my efforts, a long term employee there come and say Goodaye and tell me they miss the nightshift show and Truckie Tuesday, then back to the yard and reload to find a slow leaking tyre, but up on hours and need to be in Dubbo to unload Saturday to et 24 hour break in and reload tomorrow. So AIR CTI got me through the night.

Had possible plan to get to Bathurst for the truckshow, but then found it on Saturday only, not Sunday as I had thought, so missed out there, stopped at Narrabri, found which tyre leaking, AIR CTI pumped it up, got to Dubbo just in time to check tyre and find rim split near valve, home to see grandson dressed for school formal, down for a photo and to wish him well, then home to have young Fergo visit from Broken Hill with his Mum for a meet and chat, gave him a TIV cup for his birthday, then off to tea for Kelly and now I rest, sort of.

So air pressure, pressure to break bolts, tyre pressure and timeslot pressures, all together.

Had deferred the podcast, do that today, finish this stuff etc and off to load soon. Safe Travelling, Rod.

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