- 12 hours ago
Rookie Truckers Season 1 Episode 1
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00:00But now, after decades behind the wheel, a generation of drivers is about to retire.
00:08We have a massive crisis, a driver shortage.
00:11So me and my mates are going to do what we can to pass the torch and get the next
00:15generation ready.
00:16He reckons he wants to be thrown in the deep end, I'm throwing him in at 100 miles an hour.
00:21I think I have a problem.
00:24Living the dream.
00:26This is so bloody stressful.
00:27Come on buttercup, you'll be alright.
00:30I have faith in you.
00:32If the trucks stop, the nation stops.
00:46I've been driving these bangers here for 55 years, something like that.
00:55I'm getting up to 10 million kilometres.
00:57The equivalent of 10 times to the moon and back.
01:02I've got a couple of good mates coming in today.
01:05My name's Sludge and I'm 57.
01:10I've done everything.
01:12Dangerous goods, fuel, out in no man's land.
01:16It's a tough job.
01:19My name is Glen Yogi Kendall and I'm 48.
01:26I've been trucking for about 27 years.
01:30I've done general, I've done overnight, I've done parcel freight.
01:35I can go from anywhere in Australia to anywhere in Australia.
01:38It takes a very special type of person to become a distance truck drop.
01:42I'm going to ask them to give me a hand.
01:45Good to see you fellas, good to see you.
01:47Yogi, good to see you mate after all this time.
01:50Well fellas, there's a real problem in our industry.
01:53There's not enough new truckies stepping up to the plate.
01:56There's a lot of jobs and no one's full of jobs.
01:58You know, we're responsible for making sure that supermarket shelves are full.
02:02That hospitals have got the equipment that they need.
02:04Everything comes on a truck.
02:06Third biggest industry in Australia.
02:07Yeah. Truck.
02:08We need people to step up and fill the gaps.
02:10Between our three brains, there's so much swimming around in the head there.
02:13We've got a lot of knowledge.
02:14Let's share it with some people.
02:16I've contacted a few rookies who want to give it a fair go.
02:19We need to go and instill a bit of knowledge.
02:21Yeah, spend a bit of time with them.
02:22Spend a bit of time.
02:23Let's get these rookies ready for Australian roads.
02:25Some of the harshest environments in the world.
02:27Yep.
02:28We have them on Australian roads.
02:30Doing it the right way.
02:31I'm pleased to have you on the team.
02:32Let's pass it on, fellas.
02:42Well, I just finished a job up in Broome and I'm on my way south home.
02:46But I'm coming up to Mount Magnet and there's a rookie I've got my eye on
02:50that's going to be in Magnet this afternoon.
02:52A young fellow out of Ireland, Eric Scully.
02:55Eric's been here in Australia under a year.
02:57And he's worked his way into quad road trains already.
03:01You know, in Western Australia, iron ore mining is worth about $140 billion a year.
03:07And it's big money to be made driving a quad carrier.
03:09We're talking four trailer road trains, 200 tons and plus.
03:20I know that Eric's a bit of a snap happy character.
03:23He likes getting out on social media.
03:27Oh, I'm getting out on social media.
03:30Oh, I'm not telling you the animals in Australia are f***** stupid.
03:35Steve.
03:35I swear to God, look at the mountain of those chickens.
03:39As he's fed up, lad.
03:42Jesus Christ.
03:44Oh, you f***ing bastard.
03:51I'm going to go and have a chat with him.
03:56He's got one of the biggest rigs around.
03:59200 plus tonnes, 98 wheels on the road.
04:02I've got to be happy in my mind that he's not a loose cannon out there
04:07rattling around on our highways with that sort of gear.
04:14Eric.
04:15Hi. Nice to meet you.
04:17Good to meet you in person, mate.
04:18Very good.
04:18Yeah.
04:19So, having fun on social media gave me some impressions in my mind
04:24that I just wanted to straighten out with you.
04:25I hope that's not the real Eric.
04:27Oh, God, no. You pick your moments.
04:29You think you're the king of the road and you think you know it.
04:32being back home.
04:32You get humbled when you come out here because you don't know anything.
04:36Oh, well, I'm really pleased to hear about that
04:38because we don't want loose cannons running around in quads.
04:41No.
04:41Coming from a nice little green country like Ireland,
04:44how do you like the vastness of the Australian outback, mate?
04:48How are you handling that?
04:49Being alone in essentially a box,
04:52it's something that you definitely have to build your mental strength out there.
04:58One thing that I suppose always gets me through my day is
05:02I'm forever on FaceTime with my mother.
05:06I'm never afraid to pick up the phone.
05:09Good on you, mate.
05:12That's a big part of it, being out here on country.
05:15Yeah.
05:15That's why I'm annoying you and mentoring you.
05:18Absolutely.
05:19To try and give you some advice so that you're out there
05:21in the public domain with the rest of us.
05:23Yep.
05:23And we're all mixing it up safely.
05:25It's been an absolute pleasure.
05:26Take care of yourself out there, all right?
05:28Thank you very much. You too.
05:28I'm very upbeat.
05:30Under that outgoing extrovert exterior,
05:34there's a sensible, responsible, deep-thinking driver in there.
05:39There's a good bloke in there.
05:54First time I've ever pulled one, so, yeah, it's a massive step up for me.
06:00For the likes of Steve to turn around and say,
06:02yeah, nah, you're a good buck, keep the wheels turning,
06:05it's a really good feeling.
06:06I mean, he's an absolute icon for anybody who loves trucks.
06:11So, yeah, for him to give me the AOK, it meant an awful lot.
06:15You know, I reckon Eric's got all the qualities that we need in a rookie.
06:19He hasn't got the experience yet.
06:21My big worry is, I wonder how he's going to go out there on his own with the isolation.
06:27He's got to be on his game, that boy.
06:29I'll call him later, check on how he's going.
06:33But I'm going to leave him to it and get this load home.
06:38Checking your tires.
06:39If they're silent, that's when you've got a problem.
06:43It will eventually just go bang and rip the whole lot around it off.
06:50Pretty much ready to roll out?
06:52Oh, yeah, one more thing.
06:54We could not possibly go without giving her the cross to keep me safe.
06:58This is holy water from Nock, back home in Ireland.
07:01Renowned for being really holy stuff.
07:03Powerful.
07:03If it was alcohol, it'd be like vodka.
07:06My mother sent it out to me and she made me promise to bless my truck.
07:09Did you bless the truck?
07:11I did, ma'am, I did.
07:12She's blessed from head to toe.
07:14The Pope would be proud of me.
07:16Hopefully we won't have any problems on our trip.
07:23Well, hello, here we go.
07:25First time driving the quad.
07:33Yeah, super quad rolling out there from the servo.
08:03It's a long truck.
08:06It's a long car to repeat the journey.
08:08It's a total of almost two and a half thousand kilometers, taking four brutal 15-hour days.
08:20Hey guys, she's long.
08:22It is twice the size of anything I've ever driven.
08:26That's in weight, length, axles, tires, you name it, it's twice the size at least.
08:33In the UK, the biggest trucks are 18.55 meters long.
08:38In the USA, 24.4 meters.
08:42Western Australian quad combination trucks are 60 meters long and carry 200 tons fully loaded.
08:51It feels empowering to be on the road with a super quad.
08:54The longest combination you'll see on a public road in the world.
08:58To be heading for the mine pulling something like this, it's definitely something I'm proud to be doing.
09:10You've got four trailers behind you, swaying.
09:16One thing I was told when I started driving road trains is, your mirrors are for when you're going backwards.
09:21When you're going forwards, don't look at them.
09:24Because all you'll do is you'll give yourself anxiety.
09:26Because you'll watch those trailers bounce and sway.
09:29The more that happens, the more you try and correct it, and the more you're actually making them bounce and
09:34sway.
09:44Copy the oversize.
09:45What's up?
09:47When you get a clear straight, let me know and I'll try and come around.
09:51So that's a five meter long load.
09:54But the trailer itself is four meters wide.
09:57I want a dead straight run that I can see for at least a kilometer coming up the road so
10:03that I have a chance to get every single part of this truck around him and in without putting myself
10:08under any pressure.
10:09As you get to the right-hand lane, it might take 30 seconds to a minute.
10:14I don't know, but it feels like a long time.
10:16Here's a prime example of what you want to avoid.
10:19So there's a cow on the side of the road.
10:21They are like, oh man, there's a flock of them.
10:24Every one of those guys there are liable to run out in front of me.
10:33That's a big unit.
10:35Well, boys, whenever you're ready, you just give me the heads up and I'll come around.
10:40Hold the plate here, you've got incoming.
10:46This is definitely one of the more challenging aspects of the job.
10:52Right, oh, I'll start winding her up.
10:55Take it in performance mode just so I have every bit of beans to get the speed up and get
11:00past him as quick as I can.
11:04Right, oh, I'm going to put her in the right-hand lane there now and come around.
11:17This is definitely not where you want to be.
11:20Up the bend, up the road.
11:22Yeah, man, I'm not going for this one on the bend.
11:24It's not a hope.
11:24I'm going to just pull in behind you, right?
11:26Charlie, you keep it going, all right?
11:28Keep it going, man.
11:37So Steve sent me over here to see Shelly Roseby.
11:40She's starting off tomorrow with a new job.
11:43She's carting hay tomorrow, which she hasn't carted.
11:46Hay's one of the shit things to cart.
11:47It moves and floats around on a trailer.
11:50So he's just sent me over to try and get her up to speed and help her out.
11:55Beautiful out here.
11:57My name is Shelly Roseby.
11:58I'm 40 and I'm from Gunnedah, New South Wales.
12:05I live here with my husband, Matt, and our beautiful children, Sam, Harriet, Tilly and Gigi.
12:11We've got a cropping and livestock farm.
12:13We have beef cattle, but I'm a PE teacher and primary school teacher by trade.
12:18That's where I've spent the majority of my time.
12:21I've got a lot of history in the family with trucking.
12:24I remember being in the truck from a baby and it was always a happy place.
12:28That's the dream.
12:28Go full-time truck driving.
12:30Hello.
12:31How are you?
12:32Lovely to meet you.
12:33So I hear you want to sort of start your own transport company and get bigger and better.
12:38That's the plan.
12:38So hopefully this will be the first baby and then we'll go onwards and upwards from there.
12:44With our own farming and having to pay for haulage of our grain, it was becoming too much of an
12:49expense
12:49and something that we had to eliminate.
12:51And the only way we could do that is by buying a truck.
12:54We've purchased it for $40,000.
12:56It was probably the most stress that we've ever felt financially as a family,
13:00but we had to take that leap and risk it.
13:03So the goal now is to actually make money from the truck.
13:06She's got to get it viable.
13:07She's got to get her license up and get two trailers on the thing
13:10and start making some serious money and pay the truck off and make it all work.
13:17Shelley's licensed to drive a heavy combination vehicle,
13:20a truck with a trailer connected by a pivot joint.
13:24With Sludge's guidance, she's aiming for the highest class of heavy vehicle license in Australia,
13:30a multi-combination, or MC, which would allow her to drive B-doubles and triples.
13:38For a fuel efficiency, it just doesn't make sense to be running one trailer.
13:41We get paid per tonne over here, so I really have to step it up.
13:45And that's the big goal, the big need, to get the MC license.
13:48That's the next step.
13:49That's the next step.
13:49Two trailers.
13:50Two trailers.
13:51Yeah, right.
13:51You've got some time to teach me.
13:51So have you done some backing and stuff?
13:53We're two trailers?
13:54Yeah.
13:55No, I've never ever been driven with two trailers.
13:56Oh, my God.
13:58So that's, well, that's in a total.
13:59I know you're a good teacher.
14:00I'm a good teacher.
14:01Don't worry.
14:02So I hear you've got a big job coming up tomorrow.
14:04I've got a couple of firsts to sort of tick off.
14:06So going and picking up some hay, and my sisters are actually coming over.
14:11They'll be in trucks as well.
14:12So we're going to run that over the mountain to mum and dads.
14:15I haven't carted a full load of hay on a semi before.
14:19Hay is a shit of a thing.
14:20The hay just jumps off.
14:22Yeah, no, it's pretty nerve-wracking.
14:23It's a bit daunting.
14:25Very daunting.
14:26And especially, you know, you haven't been driving that long.
14:28No.
14:28Even though it's tied on, hay's still a shit of a load that can move and slide.
14:32So she's got to be super smooth and gentle.
14:36Oh, here we go.
14:37Here we go.
14:39I've got a little test that I want to play on her.
14:41So I'm going to fill a drum up with water and put it on the back of her truck
14:44and get her to take me for a bit of a run.
14:46And she's not allowed to spill the water.
14:47I'm going to give her a shit if she spills the water.
14:52So when we get up here, this shed, we're going to do a lap around this shed.
15:03Oh, I can see it coming out the top.
15:07Oh, shit.
15:08Oh, shit.
15:09Oh, not sure.
15:11That's the problem.
15:13Yeah, well, there's a hay or fall off if you're not smooth.
15:18Rookie error.
15:19Break before you get to corners and drive around the corner.
15:22You don't break halfway around the corner.
15:25Gently.
15:31There you go.
15:34Shelly's truck has a notoriously complicated gearbox, an 18-speed Eaton Fuller Road Ranger.
15:42With a splitter button and a range button, the gear shifter is used in complex combinations
15:48to shift between gears, high and low range, and bottom, middle, and top gearboxes.
15:57If you are gearing down and you do cock it up, jump to a three-in-one hit.
16:03Don't try and go to the one you are going to.
16:06Bypass it and do two.
16:10Wow.
16:11Well done.
16:16Stop, stop.
16:17Oh, shit.
16:23God, there's water coming out of it.
16:25That is not nice.
16:28But at least I know you can actually use the brakes.
16:31You did well.
16:32Is it still upright?
16:33I don't know.
16:36How did we go?
16:38Oh, there you go.
16:39It's got a measuring thing on it.
16:4190.
16:42So you've lost 20.
16:44What was the worst part?
16:46But I reckon the drum slipped on the floor.
16:48That might have been going around that corner fast.
16:50I'd prefer not to lose any probably.
16:53There's room for improvement.
16:54But I am surprised.
16:56It's better than what I thought.
16:58I was shitting myself about this.
17:04The hay run is for Shelley's parents who need it trucked to their farm.
17:09But it'll be a severe test.
17:13It will take her along some of New South Wales' most treacherous roads.
17:20From Gunnedah, she's taking on the Oxley Highway, 380 kilometres to her parents' farm in Kempsey.
17:28Up the steep pass at Moonby.
17:31And along the dangerous, narrow, winding roads that cross the Great Dividing Range.
17:39I've never driven that road with a semi full of hay.
17:43So that's going to be a huge learning curve and a challenge I'm petrified about.
17:47The load she's taking over this road is a tough ask for any trucker, let alone a rookie that's never
17:52done one before.
17:53So it's going to be a big push for her.
17:57I've got three sisters and we've always grown up really close.
18:01And still, even though we're a few hundred kilometres apart, we speak to each other every day.
18:05Hello. Nice to meet you.
18:07They'll have a truck and we'll be all going in convoy.
18:10It gives me more confidence doing it when I have them with me.
18:14Four sisters that drive trucks.
18:16That's a bit of a handful.
18:17It's what we do.
18:18We've got a farm.
18:20So we use the trucks to cart the cattle, to cart the hay.
18:23Yeah, it's not really an optimal time to get the hay given the weather.
18:26But we've had flooding over it on the coast.
18:28So we need to supplement feed the cows until the grass comes back.
18:33Yeah, but everyone's still got to be fed, don't they?
18:35Yeah, they do.
18:36They do.
18:36That's the trouble.
18:45Yeah, keep coming a bit.
18:48That'll do. Stop there.
18:50Oh, shit.
18:52It's a big load of hay.
18:54Even for a person like me, like, I'd be very careful with that load of hay.
18:59That's a pretty big effort for a first run.
19:01It's too much.
19:02The girls are worried that it's too big a load.
19:04Going out through the mountain pass is what they're concerned about.
19:09Being a rookie, she is green, she is learning, so we don't want anything stupid to happen first time out.
19:17You're the driver.
19:18Mate, you're cool.
19:18What do you want to do?
19:20Do you think it will unsettle the load too much to take off the top layer?
19:24If we can get a top layer off it, it'll make no difference.
19:29Right, let's look at taking a layer off.
19:31Right, let's go and see if we can get one off.
19:32Yes.
19:34So the call's been made now to unload the top layer.
19:38That's it, real slow.
19:41Stop.
19:50Rooking truckin'.
19:51We'll get it right.
19:53This is just as well I decided to stay and give her a little hand today.
20:04I reckon that's alright, eh?
20:06Let's get it back in the shed.
20:12Wrong way!
20:16Other way!
20:17Straighten your truck up!
20:19Just straight now!
20:20Straighten your wheel!
20:22Woo!
20:24Go forward, she has to move.
20:26Go forward and come over.
20:31I can't get her f***ing here.
20:34Go forward and you need to move the back of the trailer over to your right.
20:38Forward.
20:39Alright, swing your truck over to the left.
20:43Righto, stop there.
20:46Okay, now come back in and put the left hand down.
20:49And that'll move the trailer over to the right.
20:53A bit more, higher up.
20:57Now straighten up.
20:59Slow down.
21:00Chase your trailer.
21:02Chase your trailer with the truck.
21:03Chase.
21:04That's a big unit.
21:05Stop!
21:07Stop!
21:11That's a big unit.
21:13The trailer is four meters wide.
21:18Yeah, man, I'm not going for this one on the Benz.
21:20I don't hope.
21:20Get a gun, man.
21:22There's a taller up front, mate.
21:24Taller up there.
21:25We'll start everything down for you.
21:26Alright, oh, no problem.
21:27I appreciate that, boys.
21:29We'll still clear up the front.
21:32We'll let you get a gun.
21:34I'm going to pick it up.
21:36This is definitely not where you want to be.
21:41Save your hell, Mary's.
21:48Don't f***ing look in your mirrors.
21:55Alright.
22:07I don't ever want to do that again.
22:11That's, uh, that is one of those situations
22:14where you get a cold shiver down your spine.
22:17You're not going to see something like that in Ireland.
22:19But, yeah, to have something five meters wide
22:21just barreling down the road
22:23that you have to just deal with,
22:25it's, it's not something that happens.
22:28The dump trucks that'll be that size,
22:30if you were to put one of those in Ireland
22:31and fill up the bucket,
22:33so we'd have no country left,
22:34we'd be swimming.
22:43I'd better check in with Eric
22:44and see how he's going, I think.
22:51Steve, how are you getting out of here?
22:52Not bad, Eric.
22:53What about you, mate?
22:54I had to get around a five meter wide oversize.
22:58That was a challenge, definitely,
23:00with the size of a yoke that I am.
23:03And to be fair, I didn't realise
23:05that there was a pilot up the road.
23:06I actually thought I was communicating with the driver.
23:08I do understand mistakes will be made
23:10and we've just got to learn from them.
23:12Establish who you're talking to and then go.
23:14That's it, yeah.
23:16Just keep an eye on your fatigue, you know,
23:18you're out there by yourself.
23:20Yeah.
23:20Well, that can get you down a bit
23:22if you let it get hold of you.
23:23Yeah.
23:24But I just have to, I suppose,
23:25keep reminding me of myself
23:27that what I'm doing is, for me,
23:29and it's important.
23:30Yeah, I'm pleased you're handling it.
23:32You've worked out a way to stay on top of it
23:35and you're still doing it, good.
23:37No problem, I appreciate it.
23:39Good on you, mate.
23:39You take care, aye?
23:40Bye-bye.
23:55You can see as far to the horizon.
23:59There's very little to actually look at out here.
24:06You're sat here on your own
24:07in a little box
24:10with nothing to take your mind off your mind.
24:15So you've no choice but to sit here with yourself
24:17and stew, think.
24:19So that can play games with your head.
24:25Effectively, what you're doing
24:26is you've gone into solitary.
24:28Prisoners don't even go into solitary
24:30for as long as you do.
24:33It's definitely, it's not a job,
24:36it's a lifestyle
24:37and it's one that has its downfall.
24:49Ardeo.
24:50We're pretty much here.
24:57Just pulling into the mine,
24:59so this is where we've got to put
25:01the theory into reality.
25:05It's one thing to put an empty trailer.
25:07It's another thing
25:08when there's 132 tonne of a payload going into it.
25:13So, yeah, it's been exciting up until now,
25:17but this is where it gets real.
25:23When you're going in and out of the line,
25:24you want to try and keep the dust
25:26to a minimum.
25:29Obviously, we're in the outback,
25:30so you kind of can't
25:31because, well,
25:34it's made of dust.
25:39What's the rest of the number, mate?
25:45DCT 1441.
25:46DCT what?
25:48One, four...
25:49One, four, four, one.
25:51Important, as an Irish book,
25:53we're trying to communicate with guys.
25:56Apparently, we're hard to understand.
25:58I don't see how.
25:59We speak perfectly normally.
26:00The rest of the world has the problem.
26:02But, yeah,
26:04slow, steady,
26:06one, four, four, one.
26:10And then they hear us.
26:11And sometimes they don't.
26:13But it's okay.
26:14Because it means I get to talk to somebody
26:16other than myself.
26:21Right, that's that.
26:22We're here.
26:22We're about to get loaded.
26:24Drop the air out of my seat
26:25because otherwise I can't reach the controls.
26:27Put it in neutral
26:28so that my truck doesn't try to drive off
26:30when I rev it up.
26:32And...
26:37Right now, we are being loaded with iron ore
26:40in our first trailer.
26:42We are going to get
26:4417 tonne.
26:47So, in total,
26:48we're allowed a payload
26:49of 132.96 tonne.
26:54That's a lot of tons.
26:57Now, we are on to our final trailer.
27:02Soon enough, we'll be rolling out.
27:06But I have already identified a challenge.
27:10The location we've loaded
27:12is right at the bottom of the hill.
27:16It's really going to be painful
27:17to even get this thing moving,
27:20let alone
27:21getting it up to the hill.
27:26Do you want to roll back a bit?
27:28You still better run up that hill.
27:30Or you'll be right.
27:32Yeah, no, I'll roll her back.
27:36Quads are not something that's been designed
27:38to go backwards.
27:41Yeah, they'll probably do you, man.
27:43Just throw it in.
27:44Again, Irish people aren't exactly designed
27:46to drive quads,
27:47so it's a win-win.
27:52All right, this is not fun.
27:55Run!
27:59What you doing, mate?
28:02All right, Tim, I need to do it.
28:09Straighten your truck up now.
28:10Straighten your truck.
28:13Slow down, ride the clutch a bit, Shell.
28:16Straighten the front wheel up.
28:19Okay, that's it.
28:20Just keep coming back.
28:21Steady.
28:24Right-o, steady up.
28:25Ride the clutch a bit.
28:27That'll do it.
28:27Leave it there, please.
28:29Jesus, what sort of trucker are you?
28:31This is so bloody stressful.
28:33Come on, buttercup.
28:34You'll be all right.
28:36Grab this here.
28:36We can get up there to do the tarp,
28:38so it's all that matters.
28:39Yeah.
28:40We're back on track again,
28:41so now we're just pulling the tarp down,
28:43getting her all tied up nice and neatly.
28:45We don't need anything happening on her first load,
28:47and it is her first load of hay,
28:48so it's got to be right.
28:50It's looking good.
28:52I've got a job that I've got to get done,
28:54so I'll head off now,
28:56and then I'll get in touch with her tonight or tomorrow
28:58and see how she's going,
28:59just to make sure it's all gone well for her.
29:01Thanks for everything.
29:01Okay.
29:03Thank you for all your help.
29:04All right.
29:05See you, girls.
29:06Safe travels.
29:18To help warn her of approaching hazards on the journey,
29:22riding in convoy are Shelley's sisters,
29:24Jody and Amy,
29:26and niece Alyssa.
29:29First challenge,
29:30Moonby Rage.
29:31From here we'll head out Moonby.
29:37Here we go.
29:38First one's a steep one,
29:40so it's a really hard, long pull.
29:42It can be so difficult
29:44if you don't get the gears right,
29:45and that's what I'm really dreading.
29:54Come on, Dan.
29:57Okay, he's slipping through the gears.
29:58Wait.
30:00See, now,
30:01Sludge told me if I miss it,
30:03go to the next one.
30:07Come on.
30:08And I've missed it again.
30:10Oh, come on, babe.
30:11Work with me.
30:14Ah!
30:16All right, red.
30:17Red.
30:18Gear.
30:23That's good.
30:24Fine.
30:25I can't get a gear.
30:26Just keep working through.
30:33I've found it.
30:34I've found it.
30:35You all right?
30:36Just keep it going.
30:38As long as you've got a gear
30:39and your temperature's right,
30:41you'll be fine.
30:42There's nothing wrong with the gearbox.
30:44It's the driver.
30:46It's a fair bit stupper.
30:51Hey, hey, hey.
30:52Not too hard on her.
30:53Keep your revs
30:55down
30:55until an appropriate level.
31:00Nearly missed her coming up.
31:05Keep an eye on those gauges.
31:08She's almost there.
31:10Can't you taste the finish line?
31:14That's Moonby Range.
31:16Accomplished.
31:16Rookie shell.
31:18All done and dusted, mate.
31:19Well done.
31:19My foot is just like,
31:21f***ing shaky.
31:23You were looking for the truck.
31:24My foot is like,
31:27you know,
31:28from nerves.
31:28Little cherry puffs there.
31:33Holy jelly.
31:38Shelley has no time to celebrate.
31:41Now she has to negotiate
31:43the notorious
31:44Walker Mountain.
31:46This is the biggest challenge
31:48of the day.
31:50The pool over Walker Mountain,
31:53there's so many blind corners.
31:56It can be a really dangerous road.
31:57It's unfortunate,
31:58but it has killed a lot of people.
32:03Really tight, windy, hilly.
32:05A lot of corners,
32:06you're on the wrong side of the road
32:07getting around the corners
32:08with the flat top 45 foot.
32:10Getting over this mountain
32:11will be interesting.
32:13And especially, you know,
32:14she hasn't done it before.
32:17I am nervous, definitely.
32:19100% I'm nervous.
32:20It's a road
32:21that I've not driven
32:24with such a big load on
32:26and such a long trailer.
32:28The length of the trailer
32:29will really change
32:31my course of trajectory
32:33around those corners.
32:38The trailer cuts across the corner,
32:40so if I'm not out far enough
32:41when I take that corner,
32:43then the trailer will cut across
32:44straight behind me.
32:45They're so tight.
32:47Always got to be really vigilant
32:49about what's coming the other way.
32:53We've got Jode up ahead.
32:55She'll call anything
32:56that's coming around
32:57any of those tight corners
32:58that I need to sort of
32:59hug the line
33:00or get over the other side
33:01of the line for.
33:03And then Amy's behind us.
33:05She'll let us know
33:06if anything's behind.
33:09Car, van.
33:10Van and link,
33:12Rizzo and Caribbean.
33:13Rocha.
33:16on a bad, bad corner.
33:21Keep it high, Shell.
33:22Keep it high.
33:23Keep her up, Shell.
33:24Keep her up.
33:33Oh, shit.
33:39That's it.
33:40Keep going.
33:41It's very bloody narrow.
33:45Thanks, mate.
33:47I could see.
33:48I should have,
33:49I should have been in the gutter,
33:50but look,
33:51that's my arrow.
33:54Motorboat coming.
33:55I need that side, boys.
33:57Oh, please.
33:58Careful.
33:59Yeah, you had to readjust then.
34:00Far out.
34:02He was coming very fast.
34:06The challenge of this road
34:08really takes over people
34:10when they're on their motorbikes.
34:16crash zone for 40-something kilometres.
34:21Almost hold your breath
34:22because I've seen how it ends.
34:28About 10 years ago,
34:29I was actually driving this road
34:31in a car
34:32and I was the first responder
34:34to a motorcycle accident.
34:37We did CPR for over an hour.
34:39We didn't survive, unfortunately,
34:41and it was really hard
34:44to, I guess,
34:47walk away from that situation
34:50knowing that, you know,
34:52he wasn't going home.
34:53His family were never seeing him again
34:55and that we were the last people
34:56to sort of see him alive.
34:58So, like, I didn't sleep that night.
35:01I was on my way to mum and dad's
35:02and I remember lying there thinking,
35:03you know,
35:04that his partner would have been told by then
35:06and what she would have been going through.
35:08Like, you don't want anyone
35:09to sort of think about that
35:10and what his children
35:11would have been going through.
35:14Like, it's really awful.
35:15I just...
35:18Tragic.
35:20Really tragic.
35:37What a view.
35:39What a view.
35:41Oh, say it.
35:42Say, what a view.
35:43Oh, yeah, what a view.
35:52It's beautiful, isn't it?
35:59Great feeling knowing that I've come over there
36:01and done it for the first time.
36:04If you've got...
36:04If you've got the ability in this field
36:06to get over there
36:07and drive that road safely,
36:09you can navigate anything, really.
36:11So, it's good for the next steps
36:13that I would want to take
36:15in regards to getting that next licence.
36:17So, it's really good practice for me
36:19and really good experience to get.
36:23Just heading into Kempsey, so we're on the home stretch
36:27to deliver this hay, so that's a really good feeling.
36:30Thanks, girls.
36:31Can't believe we've made it.
36:32You're welcome, mate.
36:33No worries.
36:34You had a great trip over.
36:35You drove really well.
36:37Yeah, mate, thanks for stepping up
36:38and bringing this load over for us.
36:39It's fantastic help for us.
36:41Next time, we'll put the extra layer on the top.
36:50So good to be here.
36:54Hey, sludge.
36:55Hello, how are you?
36:56Yeah, good, thanks, mate.
36:57How have you been going?
36:59We've got over the mountain and conquered it.
37:02Oh, beautiful.
37:04Yeah, it was...
37:05Did you lose any?
37:06No, didn't lose any.
37:07Oh, well, you've done great.
37:08Congratulations.
37:09Thanks for all your advice yesterday
37:10to get us over the mountain today.
37:12Ah, that's all good.
37:13All right, have fun.
37:15See ya, hooroo, bye.
37:16Thank you, bye.
37:17See ya, bye.
37:18Good to share that
37:19and have that positive sort of reinforcement
37:22that you've done the right thing
37:23and that things went well.
37:26How are ya, babe?
37:29I couldn't be prouder.
37:30She's taken these steps
37:31to start her trucking career really by herself
37:34and probably she did better than I had expected
37:37because she hasn't had as much driving experience,
37:40especially on that type of road.
37:42But, yeah, I couldn't be prouder.
37:44Yeah, no, it's such a good sense of relief
37:46to get it done and dusted.
37:47Yeah, I'm super impressed and super proud
37:49that she's actually pulled it off.
37:51It's really good.
37:52It's good to see.
38:10All right, you're in the quad.
38:11Come on, Mike, you're fully loaded.
38:13Get out of here.
38:19I'll drive over there for ya.
38:21I'll tell ya.
38:22Yeah, show them how to drive it over.
38:25Jesus Christ.
38:28Unbelievable.
38:33Oh, man, I think I might have got something.
38:36Just lean in that gear and crawl over the top.
38:39Yeah, well, then.
38:42Yeah, we are rolling out just about.
38:48Mike Barry nearly couldn't even get it rolling.
38:52This is a bit embarrassing.
38:56We're doing it.
38:57I'm here in Australia.
38:59I tried to be massive ropes.
39:04Would this mean that I can now claim
39:06to be the king of the road of Ireland?
39:14Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
39:17thank you for this one, sweet.
39:18We are officially leading the mine
39:21of full load
39:23which will put us
39:24roughly
39:27around the 195 ton back.
39:31So, yeah.
39:32This is where
39:33it gets real.
39:35This is it.
39:35This is the vinegar.
39:36This is what I've
39:38I've come to do.
39:41Let's just go and do it.
39:45Oh, f***.
39:46That was close.
39:48You got my winged mirror.
39:50I'm very, very sorry about that, buddy.
39:53F*** out, f***.
39:54You don't have a f*** coming.
39:58I made a
40:00not good on my behalf.
40:04This has been an embarrassing run.
40:06So, but, uh...
40:08I'm going to do it, but
40:10yeah, I can't do it anymore.
40:16I'm going to do it.
40:19Problem.
40:21Problem.
40:22Welcome to f***ing
40:23super quiet, huh?
40:25We've, um,
40:26got ourselves
40:27into this bit of a mess.
40:28If I keep coming,
40:29that triaxle
40:30would scrape off
40:31the face of that rock.
40:32The very same
40:33as the Titanic
40:34did the iceberg.
40:35Oh, you don't f***ing
40:37do it to me.
40:38Oh!
40:39So, what's up, Eric?
40:40How's that?
40:40I've run out of fuel.
40:42Oh, and I thought of it
40:44and all,
40:44and it didn't.
40:45Ah, why?
40:47It is never ending.
41:10Oh, and I thought of it.
41:11Oh, and I thought of it.
41:17Oh, and I thought of it.
41:19Oh, and I thought of it.
41:19Oh, and I thought of it.
41:19Oh, and I thought of it.
41:20Oh, and I thought of it.
41:20Oh, and I thought of it.
41:20Oh, and I thought of it.
41:20Oh, and I thought of it.
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