STRAWBERRY DEEE’LITE

[Vic Jefferies]

I am old enough to remember the days when semi trailers first began to challenge the railways for interstate business.
The governments attempted to provide some protection to the railways by bringing in road tax. However, it became plain the railways could not compete against trucks, because of their outdated systems (two rail gauges between Sydney and Melbourne for instance) as well as antiquated work practices and trucks took over most of the interstate work even with the appalling roads in those days.
Rail still proves better at moving bulk from a to b: coal; grain, etc but can never compete with road transport due to the problems and time taken in loading and unloading and conveying goods and cargo from station to destinations.
I recently traveled along an old section of the Hume Highway that used to run from Sydney to Melbourne and could not believe that I and thousands of others drove semi trailers on what was a goat track. Modern drivers don't know how good they have it

[Maureen K Clifford]

I reckon thats true Vic - they don't and the modern rigs on the road today make it easier as well. My ex was a trucky although he never owned a Kenny - way out of our league, but he had tippers and crane trucks and flat tops which we converted to carry sheep to and from the markets and I know it was hard work - drove 6 days and on the 7th no rest as that was the day when you cleaned, serviced, repaired ready to go again on Monday. And many was the time when we would be working on the truck on the side of the road at 2am when she threw something on the trip from Brisbane back to the property. Luckily truckers seem to stick together and help each other out whenever they can. I hate sharing the road with trucks confess they frighten the daylights out of me and so I get out of their way but on the whole I have great admiration for the blokes behind the wheel because I know this country would be completely stuffed without them.

There are a few cowboys out there who don't do the trucking industry any favours but taken overall they are decent hard working blokes IMO.

[Stephen Whiteside]

The council used to be a bit of a haven for blokes that had lost their heavy vehicle license for one reason or another. Used to get some pretty hair-raising stories about log books and amphetamines and the pressures from the big trucking companies, but perhaps that was largely self-justification.

[Neville Briggs]

Clever little poem Maureen.