Here’s a compilation of footage of scenes throughout the history of trucking in Australia. Of course, there’s the nostalgia, with the Rotinoffs, Atkinsons, 1418 Benz etc. Then scenes from the Razorback blockade. There is also the stark contrast to the trucking industry of today and a reminder of just how rough and ready the entire industry was in those days.
The statistics prove it, the numbers of people killed or injured in or by trucks was astounding, when compared to today. One stat which is quite shocking, mainly because it went largely unremarked at the time, was 23 people killed on one 45 km stretch of the Hume Highway in the first six months of 1989. Not all were trucking related but trucks were implicated in many of them.
Luckily, times have changed. Yes, it was great to work in a trucking industry where you were your own boss, could work on your own initiative and get away with a larrikin lifestyle, but it did have its drawbacks. There will be plenty of older and retired truckies dealing with the health consequences of that lifestyle. It’s nice to reminisce, but times have changed and we have moved on.