A day in the life of an interstate truck driver: Rod Hannifey

Interstate truck driver and road safety advocate, Rod Hannifey, is keen to get the message across to the wider population that there’s much more to his chosen career than just driving trucks.

Loading and unloading including all the complexities and potential issues that are part and parcel of these tasks can take an extraordinary amount of time and energy – all of which the truck driver is expected to absorb in addition to time behind the wheel, which is typically 10 to 12 hours per day.

A veteran in the industry, Hannifey, has piloted trucks a total distance close to six million kilometres, previously with B-double fuel tankers and now with general freight curtain-sided B-doubles. His employer is Rod Pilon Transport based at Dubbo.

Hannifey’s current steed is a Kenworth K200 pulling a Vawdrey B-double curtain-side set. The TruckRight Industry Vehicle (TIV), as it’s known, is arguably the most striking heavy vehicle on Australia’s highways, thanks to wall-to-wall graphics promoting safety as the primary goal in the road transport industry.

Like every career, trucking has its moments, and Hannifey conveyed the details of a recent trip to Brisbane – one he’d probably rather forget about.

“In Brisbane Thursday, a fun place to deliver at the start of the day, double split and so drop one trailer, go and deliver it, go back to the safe place to drop trailers, drop that trailer, pick up the other, go back with it and again, back in off a road with cars parked either side, then down a driveway and then have to unload one side at a time, as it was too narrow to unload either side in one place.

“A lovely, about my age, so bloody old gent, that was not in any rush to unload me. I was asked by the younger fellow, ‘Why aren’t you in a hurry? Most of your blokes are often saying they will run out of hours.

“I had time then, but also had someone coming to meet me to look at something on the truck and did have to put him back a bit. Worse, what I hoped would solve a problem and give me back my cruise control did not work, so still to be resolved, along with not being able to do a [diesel particulate filter] burn.

“Then nearly six hours in total, (the fellow loading when I got there at 1.40pm had been there since 10.30 in the morning and had just started loading) so waiting, then loading and painfully watching a young bloke learn on a forklift, then after finally being loaded and now dark, have to move up and climb up and down a tall ladder 20 odd times to strap the whole load down in the dark. No lights there on one side and trying to throw straps through a very small gap while on said ladder.

“We must do it all safely mustn’t we and I did lodge a concern with both the lack of light and the adjacent light, which did not light where I was working, but kept going on and off, so one minute I could see something and then nothing. Winter is still upon us in places, yet I was wet with sweat when finished. I had called and said I could not meet the timeslot in the morning after just starting to load at 4pm. And of course, when I finally left after 7pm, everyone else had long gone home.

“Just managed to get tea at Fisher Park (Cunningham’s Gap roadhouse). They were getting ready to close, but I rang ahead and got in scoffed tea down, though they told me not to rush. They were good enough to look after me, but I did not want to delay them anymore. It did mean I was too late for a shower and could not really give up any more time, but I was hungry so getting a feed was key, but wanted to try and meet my new given arrival time.

“Upon arrival, later than I had suggested, I was told I had to reload with a product that is not very friendly to trailer curtains, just a bit worse than what I had already unloaded, so not really in a “Oh I love this job” frame of mind, then it started to rain. It started again each time I had to unload or reload – another double split – and stopped while waiting, so I got good and wet a few times. Then there was an issue that I am yet to find out what the ramifications will be, partly my fault and partly a combination of others and of unusual circumstances.

“But I made it home to Dubbo Friday night, for it to rain again as I dropped my trailers. Now there are blokes with harder jobs, worse freight and in these times, suffering trying to deal with border issues, not being treated humanely as per some Facebook posts I have seen and I am normally pretty passionate about my job generally and the industry as well. I love what I do most of the time, but nothing is always or forever perfect.

“I only have to listen to those suffering in Victoria, whether affected by the shutdown, the virus, or the other essential workers dealing with those so affected, to know I am not the worst off by a long shot.

“But to those who have said they had no idea what our job is like, I simply want you to understand it is not just get in the truck, drive and then get out and then get in and drive again.”

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