Fair Go for Owner Drivers

from WA TRANSPORT MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 2020 EDITION

WA Transport History

Over to you A FAIR GO FOR OWNER DRIVERS byRay Pratt

SHARING THE ROAD WITH TRUCKS

Except for the closed state borders, life in Western Australia is slowly returning to normal as we are getting over the crisis of dealing with COVID-19. Definitely looking good for us here in WA compared to some of the other states of Australia; though I think it would pay not to be too complacent just yet.

Travellers from interstate are still being restricted which is probably a good thing even though it is hurting a lot of people in the tourist industry. Something that is noticeable is the amount of West Australian residents who are out touring this great state of ours.

Caravan sales must be booming as the roads are busy with local tourists and the caravan parks are full most nights. It’s not unusual to see caravans parked in truck bays and old gravel pits as they try and seek a bit of space in the great outdoors.

A friend of mine has recently retired from work and purchased a flash new caravan and joined the grey nomads to enjoy the wide-open spaces. He has practical experience as a caravan operator as he has extensively travelled the South West as well as the occasional trip to the Eastern States. Now it is time for him to explore the northwest of Western Australia.

Finally, the big day arrived, and with the car loaded and wife on board, they headed northbound with the caravan in tow. All were travelling well and they were enjoying the drive as they headed up the Great Northern Highway.

As is inevitable, on this road they came across a pilot vehicle escorting an oversize load. Nothing to worry about he thought as he had seen wide loads before but he was a bit perplexed about the wig-wag lights flashing on the front of the escort vehicle. He had a UHF radio but all was silent so he kept moving at a slower pace keeping well to the left of the road.

The next vehicle that came along was the warden vehicle with its flashing lights travelling down the centre line of the road. This was something that he had never come across before so guessing something big was coming he moved right over to the guard rail and stopped.

He was certainly not prepared for the eight-metre wide load that came around the corner that looked like it was about to demolish him and his shiny new caravan. He claims the oversize dump truck that was on the truck flashed by him with just inches to spare leaving him and his wife shaken and frightened over the whole incident.

I’m tipping that the truck driver with his experience knew what he was doing and judged the passing manoeuvre to perfection. The point is that very little education is given to the public concerning how they interact with these wide loads and escort vehicles in this state.

My friend is no idiot and does lots of country driving but he was certainly not prepared for such a wide load and he and his wife were shaken up by their close encounter. It’s fine to say he should have known better but the fact is that if we are not trained then how can we be better prepared.

I’ve often heard the comment from caravan people that they feel intimidated by trucks, oversize loads, and road trains and they are not sure what is expected of them if they encounter them.

My other gripe about this is that it is obvious to me that a lot of caravans and work vehicles have UHF radios, as it’s not hard to spot the extra aerials, but very little effort is made by the escort vehicles to communicate with these vehicles and warn them of what size vehicle is coming.

I’m sure there have been accidents involving oversize vehicles and motorists who do not understand what is expected of them when engaging with these monster loads on our roads. Education is essential to make the public aware of how to share the road with trucks, especially those travelling north to the state's mining sector. Keep it safe, Ray Pratt.