Buoyed by the huge response we had to our inaugural magazine, the ROADBOSS crew has traversed the country to produce some truly epic stories for our second issue – from Weipa in the far north, to Monarto in the south, across to Perth in the west, and regional NSW and Victoria in between.
The result is a 132-page magazine packed full of great stories on industry icons, leaders and colourful characters.
Leading the issue is a cracking story on Aussie Hay Runners. Writer Harrison Hunkin paints the picture: “The mid 30’s temperatures and the smouldering of the Pilliga forest as we drove through was evidence that the Aussie Hay Runners are doing god’s work.
“They’re delivering over 1,200 bales of hay to bushfire effected farmers just in time for Christmas. We decided to join the pilgrimage of 38 trucks and get to know the truckies behind the wheel.”
Meanwhile, over in the west the ROADBOSS crew – including photographer Thomas Wielecki and videographer Jake Ashe – tagged along for a huge heavy haulage operation. We all love heavy haulage -they’re the kings of the road!
And when iconic Queensland company Mactrans is involved, the job is usually pretty epic. We join the journey of veteran driver Athol and his mate Robbo as they shift a giant 200-tonne mining excavator to Perth.
Talking of epic, it’s no cake walk getting to Weipa in October. It’s a mad rush to beat the monsoon season, and for HEART 5, the specialised medical truck from Heart of Australia, it embarked on an Indiana Jones-like journey.
Accompanied by the ROADBOSS crew, HEART 5’s multi-day barge voyage around the cape of North Queensland landed it in Weipa where it was to perform important lung screenings for mine workers. We were there to capture the story, both in print and video.
Less exciting but equally enticing, ROADBOSS editor Graham Gardiner travelled to the New South Wales-Victoria border town of Wodonga to spend a day with transport icon Ron Finemore.
In the notoriously tough transport game, creating one empire is a big deal. Two’s pretty unique. Three? Well that’s extremely rarefied company to which Finemore belongs.
On the eve of his 80th birthday, Finemore – who still has both hands firmly on the wheel of what is arguably his most successful and satisfying corporate venture – shares his incredible life story.
Back in Brisbane, Cobey Bartels reveals the inside story behind the world-first ‘London’ trailer – a 47-metre long, seven-metre high ‘Double Stack’ Super B-Triple combination.
Like many great Aussie inventions, the idea for this revolutionary trailer combination was born over a few beers at the pub.
The culmination of an arduous four-year project between Qube Logistics and O’Phee Trailers, the innovative trailer stacks empty containers two-up like a freight train – but hooked up to a prime mover.
Meanwhile, back down south the ROADBOSS team hitched a ride in a Fennell Forestry AB-triple for a scenic two-day logging expedition across the ‘Green Triangle’, travelling from forestry to mill carting some of Australia’s finest timber!
The high-productivity combinations measure up at 36.5 metres and are rated for an operating weight of 110 tonnes. Critically, they are capable of carrying both logs or finished timber, meaning they never run empty.
On top of the productivity gains, Fennell Forestry claims they deliver emissions savings of 60 per cent compared with single-trailer logging set-ups.
Finally, Harrison Hunkin catches up with Wants Transport, a humble transport business based out of Lismore in northern NSW.
He found every day is different for the regional carrier. One day it’s grain, the next could be sugar, but it’s this variety and the freedom of the work that has kept it going and finally enticed third-generation family member Taylor into the fold.
After resisting the pull of the family for years, the 32-year-old finally caught the truckie bug and is now driving the Lismore to Brisbane trip daily.
To ensure you don’t miss out on another cracking issue of ROADBOSS Magazine, subscribe for free here. The next issue is due out May/June 2024!
