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 2026 Latest Blog Post. Listen on Spotify
Goodaye all, well it’s been a 610 week, first few days in one and except for the radio , mostly good, then into another and a whole different story. Ben wasn’t happy with my list for the first, but I have caught up now with this one. Hours to get going from initial checks and a number of issues and fixes and the list is now a page, but I am stuck with it till maybe Tuesday at this stage. I got info from one driver on how to fix the clock on the dash and have just found how to set the time and hook up the Bluetooth, was simply busy enough that doing it along the way did not seem to work. I will see what this truck has cost me in a while. It seems the radio settings are also still set for the USA, that one still to sort, but at least now I have some of the issues listed and have been told they will be looked at when I get it back to Dubbo.

They found some rubbed through wires on the K200 which they hope was the selector issue, when they took it for a run after, no problem, but we will see. I did suggest checking the diff and it seems it has been out of sync, will find out why and how next week, but that may well have caused the on going issues with the front seal and having some play in it. When they took it out, much metal and hopefully, one of the few ongoing issues with this truck, will now be sorted properly.

I left for Wagga Wagga Sunday evening, unloaded two drops there Monday and into Melbourne late enough, everyone had gone home and so with a trailer in the way, had tea and messed about till I could load. All good and on the way to Gilgandra, but then had to stop in Dubbo for stuff where again, with that delay, too late to unload. Had tea at the Shell to then park up and see all the SES heading out with lights and sirens and thought, that does not bode well. And of course, it was not good as many of you would have heard of the crash just south of Gilgandra during the week. The road was closed for nearly 20 hours.

I went off to Moree and finished unloading, then back through Dubbo with a shower and tea, to load that night for Brissie and nearly made it back to Dubbo. In and swap trucks again with as above, some issues. On the road eventually, get to Toowoomba and now with the bypass closed at that end, followed two other trucks and the detour signs to find ourselves lost in the backblocks of Toowoomba. We got some help over the UHF and I rang TMR who said it had nothing to do with them and the range crossing people were the ones to talk to and they put me through to them and I did explain the issue and they were going to fix the sign supposedly put in the wrong place.

A truck had come out where this sign was and the two trucks in front then followed what they expected was the sign correctly showing the detour and I followed them. A double, then an A double then me, what fun. Anyway finally just made it to the port with minutes to spare, to then find some parking changed, but found a spot for the morning.

Into the site to be told, no that doesn’t come here, it goes to our other site, but luckily, not that fay away. We will tell them you’re coming and they will wave you in, thanks. I know you will be shocked to hear that when I got where I thought I was supposed to be and went looking and yelling “Hello” to be told, I have another truck coming, no one rang, but come in anyway and the other bloke will have to wait and whilst it was one of their own, it worked out OK.

Back to the yard to load, out with a very late breakfast at Aratula and a phone interview pre-record for radio the next morning, a stop at Gundi to talk to a journo and park for the night just out of delivery destination, so I could use the Icepack and be set for Bonafide in the morning, then unload.

I had rang the delivery point during lunch, sorted the unload time etc and then when unloaded and grabbing a coffee for the trip home, he said he had wondered why someone would load out of Brisse to there, to unload Saturday morning, but when I explained I lived in Dubbo and was on my way home, he understood. Thanks for the coffee Lochie.

So back to the yard and the not Icepack was still running, though I had thought I had turned it off, but Pat showed me how to stop it but said don’t get burnt, checked over the trailers I am to take and home to start work. So now finally caught up with most of that, Thanks Bo and Anna for helping with the mowing and now time to go to work, but still in the shit, can’t win. Safe Travelling, Rod.

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