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 2026 Latest Blog Post. Listen on Spotify
Goodaye all, back to work Sunday with hayfever, due to leave at 3PM and load at five, got a call can I please load earlier. Had set everything up on the nominated time since Friday, so not keen, but they had got me home till now. Ok will try to be there for 3.30, rang on the way to be told, we know nothing about it! Such is life. And we had been asked to load on the Sunday to clear space, but could not unload till 6PM Public Holiday Monday at the earliest, not the best use of my time, but give and take?

So got to Pheasants Nest and parked up, with the running nose in full stream. Son lives close by, so bought me some meds and came and had lunch and I tidied the cab etc. New plan to go in early Tuesday, instead of Monday night and then struggle to find somewhere to get good sleep with the yard full etc, worked, as two roadtrains already in front of me. Unload, reload Tuesday morning and heading towards the M7, smell something burning. MMM, look around, no alarms or buzzers, but then ALT light on and voltmeter down, so the BP seemed the best place.

But of course nearing noon, chockers, stuck in the driveway at first, then the belt snapped, so need to park quick. Found a spot beside another, went looking for someone about to move, one overseas driver with the truck running, tried to explain the situation and asked him would he wait there till I got round, because with no belt, now no waterpump running. He said “No” so I said thanks a lot and went back to find another leaving, not a b-double park, but it will be now and got there after backing into the driveway and getting the bloke to back up as well, though another driver heard and did offer help, thanks.  So now parked where I could stay and be out of the way and had already rang to offer diagnosis, “Yes bloke coming but will be about three hours”.

So will kip, no, phone rang including a new spammer, then mechanic arrived, but only to to confirm, so cab up and yes, as I had reported, no belt and could not turn alternator. Still off to do the other job, but worth checking, it seemed. Came back, into it to find pulley seized on, bugger so now off to get one of those, then a slight wiring issue and after only 8 hours plus, back on the road. Off to delivery point, late but all good now for the morning.

One done, onto the next and plan to load from Leeton, something different and back to Sydney, two pick ups, more inductions and the forkie a fan of the podcast, ”Thanks mate and hope it keeps you entertained”. Made it back into Sydney late that night with plan A to reload and go home. By Friday afternoon, now onto plan F or G, had done another complete load, looked like being stuck in Wagga, but plan H out of the box and a load for Dubbo now. But late out, camped at a green reflector bay east of Dunedoo, do the podcast and home, to get A service, as due to load Monday for Adelaide.

I struggled during the week, the hayfever went into my chest and I was also then trying to cough the insides outside, along with the runny nose now morphing into lovely gunk to try and blow out my nose as well. Then the back and forward and the concerns of the week before not fully resolved, was not enjoying it all that much. But got home, trying to catch up on bits and pieces and will see how the new week goes. Safe Travelling, Rod.

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