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Introduction. 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! |
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I’ve completed a Graduate Certificate in Road Safety, won a Queensland Road Safety Award for the Blue Reflector Marking of Informal Truck Bays in 2005 (and now 25 years on since the first were put up as a trial, still trying to get other states after Queensland, NSW and Victoria and now finally SA doing from Port Augusta to the WA border as a trial, to adopt this simple, cheap and effective road safety initiative) however we had to change to green and now there are green reflector bays in every mainland state in Australia, but more on that later. I won the NATROAD Driver of the Year in 2000, the Australian Trucking Association National Professional Driver of the Year in 2001 and the John (William) Bond, Safe Driver of the Year in 2004 and have since been nominated for Driver of the Year a further two times. In 2008 I launched the TRUCKRIGHT Industry Vehicle which has its own section on this
website and I am very happy with the efforts and achievements of this project so far, but as
with all things, it can do more with the right amount of support. My CV is attached here
elsewhere as a more complete listing and I would welcome emails both in support or
otherwise of any of the information on the site, and towards further improvements in road
safety. Thank you to Ken Wilkie for supplying me his K104 for two years to get this up and
running, an incredible contribution from a single owner driver that I will never be able to
repay.
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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.
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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.
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May 2017 Updated Caravan Survey To all caravan and motorhome drivers, please take the time to email me your thoughts from the 2017 caravan survey. |
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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. |
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March 2024 Latest Blog Post. Late Note/the Sick Note. Listen on Spotify So last week-end was a short week-end trying to fit too much in, then off to work Sunday to be in Melbourne with a plan to blog from there before bed. But I got away late trying to squeeze stuff in, got there and went to bed to be kept up and then woken by what I found to be the business next door, not the one I wanted, only to go back to bed to be woken again by my bloke, who had come in way much earlier than we had planned. Eventually finished my break up the road and then rushed to get to load later in the day with two pick ups and a plan to go to Moree, then told will be unloading in Dubbo and reloading for Adelaide. Been a while since I have been there, but was pretty much on time getting there, only to find the second drop (after entering as a b-double) don’t allow b-doubles and I should have booked a day before, but the fellow there was good and we got unloaded and I even picked up some nice chrome bits from my mate at TRUCKBLING who brought them over to me there. Adelaide back to Melbourne and reload for Dubbo plus, back in early Friday morn, A service for all the bits, bolt fixed on an air bag, mods done to my mezz floor cups, two gates welded, fit the shiny bits, fit my water tank and home to drill a couple more holes and tidy it up. Still minor mods to see it perfect, but went and got a tap this morning and getting it finally done. Had one idiot try to possibly kill themselves and others and I would then have been involved, overtaking a yes, slightly slow truck and dog on a blind corner over double lines. A truck came the other way, but he was in the left of the two lanes in the opposite direction, but had there been a car there, old mate would have seen it about 2 seconds before hitting it at 200k closing speed and I would have worn him. I am sure you have all seen the same, far too often and it seems, people are getting even more impatient and happy to risk not only their lives, but those of others to gain seconds. What the hell do we do? At this stage planning to be at TRUCKFEST in Sydney for the three days, 3rd to 5th May and looking forward to saying Goodaye to any who visit. More details closer to the event. Till then, Safe Travelling, Rod Hannifey. |
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Whiteline Television Videos | ||||||||||||||||||
Click Here for TRUCK That Video episodes and more from Whiteline Television | ||||||||||||||||||
The Site has been split into two parts, the TRUCKRIGHT Industry Vehicle and Road Safety. The TRUCKRIGHT Industry Vehicle (TIV) section covers the aims and efforts of this initiative towards improving how the road transport industry is seen by the public and how to improve the lot of truckies on the road. Road Safety has all the flyers and road safety tips for all drivers, car, truck etc and will aim to improve road safety for all road users through better education and understanding. |
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To Support the TRUCKRIGHT initiative please purchase a Trucks Deliver Australia bumper sticker by clicking the PayPal button below to have a sticker posted to you. Stickers $20.00 each. |
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Mudflaps also available. Contact me for more infomation, sizes and prices. |
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Alternatively donations of any amount are always greatly appreciated. |
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Home Page | Australian Heavy Vehicle Configurations | Resources TRUCKRIGHT - About Rod Hannifey | Aims | Events 2011 - 2015 | Events 2008 - 2010 | Riders 2011 - 2015 | Riders 2008 - 2010 | Sponsors | Updates 2014 | Blog Posts ROAD SAFETY - Caravan Safety Top Ten Tips | Caravan Survey | Eyes On The Road | Fog Lights Can Be An Issue | Green Reflector Marking of Informal Truck Bays | National Sharing the Road with Heavy Vehicles | Truckies 'On Road Code' | Truckies Top Ten Tips Contact Rod |
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