G'day :)

Hi all. I’m Kay from down under. I live in the south west of Western Australia in a small country town. I got my HR licence a couple of years ago.

My first driving job was delivering fresh produce to metropolitan supermarkets. It could have been a good job, I guess, but I wasn’t strong enough to unload the pallets with fruit and veg stacked higher than me with the manual pallet jack.

My second job was doing 2 up hot shots to the mines up north. That was a really cool adventure, but I discovered I couldn’t sleep in the truck. After 30 odd hours of only fitful dozing during my “rest” times, I’d be so dangerously tired it was just ridiculous. I’d have loved to keep doing that job, but for my safety, my co-driver’s safety and the safety of every other person on the road, I had to give it up.

Then I moved to the country and I got a job delivering John Deere tractors. What a blast that was! I never knew from one day to the next what I’d be delivering or picking up or where I'd be going. I learnt so much on that job it was just amazing. But … when there were no deliveries or pick ups to be done, I was washing and detailing 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] had tractors, seeders, balers and other farm things, or detailing new ones for trade shows and fairs. There were times when there’d be no sales made for weeks at a time, so no deliveries. I ended up having to quit, cos apart from absolutely hating washing tractors that had been on dairy farms for years or whatever, the tendonitis in my wrist got unbearable from all the washing and polishing. They wouldn’t keep my on casual to just do the deliveries, so I had to leave. Very sad L

After a load of health stuff, that’s all sorted now, I went and got my MC licence, so I can drive the really big trucks now … if I can get a job. It’s a bit disheartening when everywhere I go says I need to have 2 years’ experience to get a job, but they won’t give me a job so I can get the experience.

I found this forum looking for an aussie one, which there doesn’t seem to be. I guess things can’t be too much different over there in the states, can they? Even if they are a bit different, I’m hoping I can chat with people in similar situations, learn some stuff and share some stuff.

So g’day

 

thanks bayle. yep, it is a great country. and i can't think of a better way of seeing it all than from the cab of a truck. even with the limited experience i've had so far, i've seen loads more places than i would've seen otherwise. i've checked out the aussie sub forum on here, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of anything happening on there.

 

thanks guys. i'll check the canadian one as well One thing that works against me a bit is that i'm not very big or strong. 5'2" and i think around 8 stone. already been knocked back for one job cos the boss reckoned i wouldn't be able to lift the gates on the curtain sider. might be paying him another visit. options are a bit limited where i live, being a fairly small country town. but if all else fails, i spoke to a fuel guy today and he said he'd put me on and train me on the rigid tanker in around may next year when the season quietens down. and the concrete guy said he'd keep me in mind for the agi if one of his guys was sick going on holidays. might have to go back and see him and see about doing some work experience with him.

 

from what i've been reading, over the road (aka otr?) is long distance trucking, sleeping in the cab for days or even weeks at a time? sounds like what our east-west and up north drivers do here. i'm not sure it's something i'd like to do, altho the main thing stopping me from considering it is my fur babies. there's no one to look after them if i'm not here. mostly, that sort of job only goes to people who've had a good couple of years experience driving semis and you can only get a semi licence after holding a rigid licence for 12 months. so here, you basically have to start small and work your way up.