The lights on the hill - A tribute to truckies.

It has been a while since my last blog post. I am starting to feel that the end of this first blogging period for me is close. Or maybe, the reason lies more on me being too busy on my new role, leading the Brisbane team of Veitch Lister Consulting. Strategic transport modelling is one thing that I wasn't too much involved in my career so far, so obviously I am learning a lot every day. Probably I'll have quite a few chances to write about transport modelling in future posts, either here in Mobility Management Australia or in another blog.

Today's post is something that I was heavily (!)  involved in my previous role. The pun is intended, as I am talking about heavy vehicles. Over the weekend I was visiting the rural town of Gatton. A nice little town to the west of Brisbane that has a transport interest as it hosts the Transport Museum. A well organised collection of old vehicles with a focus on trucks.

A big section of the museum is dedicated to Western Transport. This is not only a tribute to J.C. (Cyril) Anderson and his brother M.J.R. (Curly) Anderson, but also to the men and women who worked for this great company. In the early days of Western Transport, the group created a division to import, manufacture, maintain and market trucks. This led to the establishment of manufacturing facilities for Mack Trucks and Leader Trucks in Australia

And it is true that these 'pioneering' men and women and their heavy vehicles,  played a significant role in opening up the regional towns of Queensland and Australia. In extremely difficult conditions and travelling huge distances across the country they helped open up entire economic sections, like the oil and gas fields of Australia at a time when roads and certainly highways did not exist.

Source

I was more impressed, walking out of the museum for a walk across Lake Apex and the park, to come across the Lights on the Hill memorial. A  memorial wall for truck and coach drivers who have passed before their time, in a work related accident or by other means. People, that have contributed substantially to the Australian transport industry.

And that is when I remembered the tragic statistics around heavy vehicle and truck crashes in Australia. Almost 37 articulated and heavy rigid truck drivers were killed on average each year in Australia between 2008 and 2013.  Unfortunately, Queensland's share in these deaths is quite big, with an average of 11 heavy vehicle drives losing their lifes in Queensland roads from 2008 to 2011.

I am afraid that there isn't any other occupational category with so many fatalities each year. Imagine if 37 electricians or neurosurgeons were killed each year in Australia while doing their work. The public outcry would be enormous. So why aren't we more sensitive when it comes to "truckies"? I am sure that governments should do much more for this category of workers that on top of that are underpaid and have to work under huge stress. Otherwise, the drivers and their families will keep signing:
...

Oh, but I'm over the edge and down the mountain side

I know they'll tell about the night I died

In the rain when the lights on the hi-ill were a-blindin' me

....