Truckin’ on the Other Side (of the World)

In-depth

12 Jan

So, you’re behind the wheel of your rig somewhere in Australia right now. Maybe you’re in Western Australia and near the bushfires. Or in Queensland trying to get through the floods – ditto the Northern Territory. Possibly you have it easy in Victoria where you’re keeping the window wound up because of the humidity.

Wherever you are at any time of the year in this great land, you’ll not come across the conditions my Canadian mate, Mike Murchison (and his contemporaries) is driving through right now.

Mike messaged me just before New Year with a little video. -25c. At the time it was something over 35c here. Jealous? Not!

**‘I have more layers than a Betty Crocker cake!’**

Behind the wheel of a 389 Peterbilt powered (sort of) by a Paccar MX 13 litre that puts out around 460Hp. And I referred to a recent drive of a Hino 700 with 480Hp and a single as ‘leisurely’. Mike’s hauling two or three trailers on his runs.

The picture below shows a typical road on his drive from Alberta, Canada down into the US. As Mike commented, “Driving is tricky. Had freezing rain on top of that snow.”

Mike continued: “We have a thing out here in Alberta called a 'Chinook Wind'. It’s warm wind that comes from the Pacific. It picks up speed as it goes over the mountains, bringing that warm air all the way to Alberta. Temperatures can soar as much as 20 degrees in a matter of hours. The trouble is that it moves like a runaway train: 70-90km/ hr and can last 3 days. Empty trucks can easily get blown off the road if there is any ice on it.”

**A typical day in the life, north of the Southern Cross.**

In our latest convo this morning – after I’d sent Mike a photo of my sunny backyard – he asked if there would be any work Down Under for a 60 year old Canadian Truckie.

Hmmm… a Truckie that hauls two and three trailers across the country in those conditions. I think he might be in with a chance. LOL.

Hey Mike, take care of You and the spare room here in MooTown is ready and waiting for you and Donna (who also drives a Pete with multiple trailers). I can see the guys living Mike’s dream and driving Road Trains two-up in the foreseeable future.