The TRUCKRIGHT Industry Vehicle (TIV) has travelled Australia's Highways as an educational working truck with a number of passengers riding with Rod Hannifey since being launched at the 2008 Dubbo Show.

The First Passenger.
Kathryn Hodges, National Transport Commission, Manager Legislation and Compliance travelled from Melbourne to Dubbo on the 11th July 2008.
Comments, Trip was worthwhile.

Passenger Two.
Jonelle (Nelly) McKenzie, who was the assistant presenter on the Charles Wooly “Across Australia” syndicated radio program and who had been the host of “Nelly at Night”, a night time talk back show for a number of years where Rod Hannifey had done regular interviews about the trucking industry and road safety generally.

Nelly travelled from Brisbane, after helping to load wool, right through to Melbourne over the 25th to 27th of July, doing live daily radio interviews with Charles Wooly, along with interviewing a number of truck drivers at Southbrook, Goondiwindi, Albury and Melbourne during the trip. Comments from these drivers then formed part of the following weeks “Across Australia” program. Each day Nelly spoke positively of the trip and of the life of a truckie on the road and some of the issues encountered whilst on the road using these interviews.

Passenger Three.
Sean Cummins, Caravan and Motorhome journalist travelled from Brisbane to Dubbo on the 22nd/23rd July and this trip then was used for a six page spread in the December issue of Caravan and Motorhome. The story was a positive view of trucks and truckies and detailed the TIV’s aims and the need to share the road.

Passenger Four.
David Hutt was the Advancer for Dr Brendon Nelson and in wanting to meet me and inspect the truck prior to Dr Nelsons trip, jumped at the chance to do a trip himself and travelled from Dubbo to Manildra to load and onto Melbourne on the 17th August.
Comments, David said he enjoyed the trip and learnt more about trucks and trucking than he had done anywhere else.

Passenger Five.
Dr Brendon Nelson, at the time the Leader of the Federal opposition and the Leader of the Federal National Party, travelled from Melbourne to Dubbo doing radio, television and press interviews at Rod Pilon’s Melbourne depot, Albury, Forbes and Dubbo. This lead to me doing five further additional radio interviews on different radio programs, following his trip. As had been planned in setting up the trip, Dr Nelson slept in the top bunk of the TIV following a late arrival in Dubbo and was quoted as saying that he could not write during the trip, due to the rough ride and road conditions and then could not read what he had tried to write either.
Comments, Dr Nelson said people from the top down starting with the Prime Minister should do a trip in the TIV to better see and understand truckies needs. He was very positive in all media about the needs for better rest areas, fairer regulations that gave truckies flexibility and a fair go and in improving roads and how the TIV could help with this.
 
The brand new signwritten trailers were picked up from Vawdrey in Melbourne on the 26th September 2008.

Passenger Six and the first with the new trailers.
Gary Liddle, CEO Vicroads travelled from Melbourne on the 21st November with a short stint around Laverton and Altona first and then onto Albury where he did a telephone interview with Owner Driver magazine and this was printed in the next edition. Two weeks after Gary’s trip, the savage bump at the Hume Freeway exit from the Western Ringroad was repaired and this was followed by the repair of another such bump on the Westgate Freeway under Grieve Parade and then improvements to the southbound High Street overpass at Wodonga.
Comments, Gary did a phone interview with Owner Driver magazine which was printed in the following issue and was positive about the trip and the better awareness he now had of the impact of bumps into the truck, that in his car were not noticeable at all.

Passenger Seven.
Greg Martin, the new Chair of the National Transport Commission, travelled from Melbourne to Dubbo on the 13th December and spoke of his trip in his address to the next Australian Trucking Convention in May 2009.

Passenger Eight.
Philip Halton, Assistant Director, National Transport Policy, NSW Roads and Traffic Authority travelled from Brisbane to Dubbo on the 10th February. Philip commented he was doing the trip specifically to support the TIV and that he thought it was possibly the best thing currently being done by the road transport industry. He spoke of the possible future benefits of the road reading technology in providing valuable information to road authorities and that this may well lead to a working relationship where each helped the other.
Comments, Philip’s very positive comments about the TIV and its aims and efforts were used in a recent article in “Diesel” magazine.

Passenger Nine.
Roger Sack from Tramanco and a film crew from The New Inventors travelled around Melbourne filming for the New Inventors show on ABC Television. A camera was also placed under the back trailer filming the impact into the airbags and the ride of the trailer. Roger’s invention, INS-COM which can confirm suspension road friendly compliance, also reads the impact of the road into the truck and trailers went on to win the night when it went to air on the 29th July.

Passenger Ten.
The Honourable Tim Pallas, Victorian Minister for Transport spent two hours travelling in the TIV from Laverton to Wallan on the Hume Highway and return. Mr Pallas took lots of notes and has vowed to look at some of the issues raised.

Passenger Eleven.
Robert de Maid from the NTC travelled from Melbourne to Dubbo leaving at Midnight Friday and arriving in Dubbo at 11 am Saturday. Robert is responsible for looking into the suitability and application of Electronic Logbooks. I have since put in a submission to the NTC regarding Electronic Work Diaries.

Passenger Twelve.
Wendy Machin, the President of the NRMA travelled from Brisbane to Dubbo over the evening of the 21st/22nd September. After a nap, Wendy did two early radio interviews and then I accompanied her and Daniel Stanton, the NRMA Publicity Officer to ABC Radio in Dubbo for a live interview, 2DU in Dubbo for another live radio interview and then to a Press Conference at Rod Pilon Transport Depot with the Daily Liberal and Prime and Win TV crews filming an interview with Wendy and then myself. Both the Orange newspaper and Television also did stories on Wendy’s trip along with the story airing agin on Prime Television on Friday night. A story about doing the trip and also following the trip will be in the NRMA “Open Road” magazine. A short video from the trip is all ready on the “RoadTube” NRMA website.

Passenger Thirteen.
A Current Affair film crew travelled in the truck on 29th September from Brisbane to Dinmore and then to Aratula following national newspaper stories on the “Watch the Road” invention and camera which watches the traffic and behaviour of motorists in front of trucks. The TIV is fitted with one of these cameras and I have also informed them of the aims and other features of the TIV.

Passenger Fourteen.
Following the TIV appearing on the 7PM Project, I was contacted by a journalism student who had done some truck driving in rigid trucks and wished to do his final paper for his degree on trucking. Michael Cox flew to Dubbo from Sydney, travelled with me to Brisbane and then flew back to Sydney. The paper must be of interest to the wider community and the winning paper from his class will be published in the university and possibly other press.