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.

October 2025 Latest Blog Post. Tarps and podcasts. Listen on Spotify
Goodaye all, well off Monday, what public holiday? Into Toowoomba with my tarped load that night, thought I would be able to enlist the help of the local driver to unload in the morning, but we had another truck in front, didn’t know he was going to be there, but he had been crook and ran late, so by the time he got unloaded, the local bloke was ready to leave and I could not get in and straight and out of the way, to start undoing the tarps etc, so a delay then in and strip it all.

I had rang to see where next, but that was a bit keen on my part, but by the time I was ready to strip, there was a plan to simply reload there for Dirranbandi, so time to do it all tidy, but would not need the tarps back on, just some of the gates, so reload and head off. Nothing special on the way, though did get a text for the next load, not too far to go, had tea at Westmar, a place I had not been through in years, not too bad, got in late evening, having only had tea there last week on my way to Roma, then to bed.

Up in the morning, some freight off where I had parked in the truck bay, out to a big farm and unload the rest, then into the gin to reload cotton. Do I have to tarp it, yes oh joy. A bit of wind about and warm in the sun, but after loading asked could I move into the shade and was allowed into the shed to strap down and another bloke said once weighed, come back and he would lift the tarps on top for me, instead of me using the tarp stands out in the wind and sun. One tarp had been torn when loading, so that added a bit of fun trying to get it on and secure, though the rip was in a bad spot. I nearly covered the load, having told them I only had cap tarps. They said it is deemed a flammable load and must be completely covered and I got close.

At this stage we were on plan C, doing a changeover on my way back, but then we moved to D and I was again going back to Brissie. All good, in late that evening, couple of mates to chat with before bed, Icepacks all running together, and had an offer to help untarp in the morning, but they all slept in a bit and I was told, move in here and we will give you a hand. They must have got sidetracked, because they only came back after I had it all undone and the tarps laid out on the ground, but one did give me a hand to fold them.

The next few days had been set up on plan B, but due to still having a water leak, the under warranty from the rebuild repair last week not having worked, I had made a suggestion, but that didn’t gel and so, after unloading the cotton, reload just down the road some stuff for the yard, back to unload, then, do 4 or more trailer swaps and moves and end up with 2 loaded A trailers and time to go and visit my mates at Icepack. A small issue was actually a bigger one and I was asked how long I had, yes a few hours, all good then and underway. Thank you to the Icepack team for fitting me in and being a supporter of the TIV from the start many years ago. If you want the best and toughest truck system for a good nights sleep wherever you are, give them a ring.

I had been asked to do a podcast for the new NHVR series they are doing, having deferred it from yesterday with the cotton loading, thought I could fit it in here. The tech did not work as planned, but think it all ended up OK. Icepack sorted, back to the yard in time for a shower before my passenger arrived. Taking another of our drivers back to Dubbo to pick up his truck and trailers.

We hooked up the third trailer at Gatton, got to Moree, magnificent light show and then the rain came, but so Jason did not get drenched, then had to do a big U turn through the truckstop, to drop him at the motel for the night, before I went up to the yard and nearly kissing the truck parked out front of our yard, just squeezed in to park up.

Up and unload, had got a call from a mate the night before about doing another podcast and planned that for the afternoon when I would be back in Dubbo, got there to get plan E plus three now in place. Yes that trailer will fit with mine for a B triple, used it before, hooked it up to find it will only fit in the middle, won’t fit at the front, bugger, change round so they could get loaded by another truck, as mine went straight into the workshop for a well due B service, then with parts ordered for the morning coming from Melbourne, left it there.

My youngest son picked me up, home in time to talk to Mike for a longer than planned chat, chill out for a bit, ready for “Bonafide” in the morning when we had Mr Paul Salvati, Chief Operating Officer lined up for a chat. We had planned to cover and detail the use of NHVR weighbridges when closed, but left on for drivers to be able to check weigh their trucks. Vicroads did it first and TMR as well at the port, but Transport for NSW would not when they operated the bridges, so I approached Sal, NHVR CEO and as Paul says, he got Paul to sort it.

There had been comments in some industry press from a couple of drivers, that “Yeh, Yeh, I won’t be using them no matter what they say, if you are over they will have cameras and you will just get a ticket in the mail” and that is not the case, and rather than just me saying it, I wanted the NHVR to confirm and Paul did just that, answering some more questions and was very generous with his time on a Saturday, thank you very much Paul and that episode will be available later this week, as will Mike’s.

So some tarping fun and sweat, three podcasts and weeks normal week, all good, Safe Travelling till next week, Rod.

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