In Australia, truckers are called “truckies”. Despite their cutesy-sounding nickname, these drivers are seriously hardcore.
They haul huge loads with multiple trailers (called “road trains”) through thousands of miles of uninhabited outback desert.
As an outback trucker, you don’t want to get stranded. Out here, you can die in a matter of hours without water.
Australian trucks come equipped with heavy-duty bars designed to plow right through stray kangaroos without stopping.
Australia’s Outback Truckers
As a country, Australia is approximately the same size as the United States. But that’s where the similarities end.With a population of just 25 million, mostly concentrated around the coasts, Australia has thousands of square miles that are almost entirely empty.About the only people living out here are farmers who manage remote cattle ranches. These massive swaths of land are so dry that they require miles of grazing land for even small herds.
Road Trains
Connecting these people to the outside world are long haul outback truckers who run massive road trains of supplies into small towns.
They are possibly more important to the Australian outback than American truckers are to American farmland.Without these enormous road trains, the most remote communities would never get supplies.It’s not just the long hauls outback truckers have to deal with. There’s also scorching heat in the summer and horrendous rainy seasons.
Many times, truckies are so far from civilization that major mechanical problems can quite literally result in life or death situations.There have been many reports of people dying in the outback after their vehicles broke down just because they didn’t bring enough water to stay hydrated.Life on the road for truckies is much the same as for American Truckers. They spend a lot of time sleeping in trucks and away from their families.
For the most part, they drive Mack and Kenworth. And in most parts of Australia, truck stops are much smaller and much farther apart. There is often little or no cell service.
The life of the Australian truckie is far more hardcore than that of the American trucker. But in much the same way, they are the heroes of their transportation industry.
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Enjoy this list of historic world firsts in the trucking industry.
Trucking Industry Facts You’ve Never Heard
First Semi-Trucks
It is widely reported that the first semi-truck was invented in 1898 by Andrew Winton.
He used the first semi-truck to haul his automobiles and avoid putting wear and tear on them before delivery.
At this point in American history, there were no interstate systems and most roads were still unpaved dirt. In fact, in 1900, only 4% of roads were paved.
Traveling by road was much more difficult and most freight was transported by train. However, over time, trucking became the preferred method to reach rural communities that were not being served by trains.
The trucking industry truly exploded as networks of paved roads expanded and the interstate system was begun in 1956.
Fastest Semi-Trucks
The fastest semi-truck in existence is actually hard to nail down. There are many kinds of trucks competing for the title: standard diesel, electric, and one insane jet-powered trucks.
Diesel
The fastest standard diesel semi-truck we could find is Volvo’s Iron Knight. They only made one, created specifically to go as fast as possible.
But just take a look at these stats about the fastest diesel semi-truck:
– 2,400 horsepower (for reference, the Peterbilt 379 has 475 horsepower)
– 4,425 pound-feet of torque (most new Peterbilt engines have about 1,500 pound-feet)
– 500-meters (1640.42 feet) from a dead stop in 13.71 seconds
– 1,000-meters (3280.84 feet) from a dead stop in 21.29 seconds
– 171.5 mph top speed
Watch the Iron Knight outrun a sports car:
Electric
The new Tesla electric semi-truck is set to hit roads in 2020. Love it or hate it, this semi-truck is seriously fast, and it’s actually going to be available to the general public.
Check out what Tesla says about their electric semi-truck:
– 0-60 mph in 5 seconds empty
– 0-60 mph in 20 seconds with 80,000 lbs. load
– 500-mile range at gross vehicle weight and highway speed
Jet-Powered
Last is the seriously insane, jet-powered Shockwave custom Peterbilt. This semi-truck is powered by two huge jet engines that shoot massive flames and propel the truck to a top speed of nearly 400 mph.
Check out these other stats about the fastest jet-powered semi-truck:
– 36,000 horsepower
– 376 mph top speed
– A quarter-mile in 6.5 seconds (the Iron Knight did a similar distance in 13.72 seconds)
Longest Semi-Truck Loads
It’s no secret that normal Australian truckers (called truckies) run massive “road trains” with three, four, or sometimes five trailers.
Their trucks are outfitted with massive grill protectors meant to plow right through kangaroos and other animals that get in their way.
With a single Mack truck, John Atkinson hauled 153 trailers — for about 500 feet. It’s still pretty insane though.
Most Expensive Semi-Trucks
The most expensive semi-truck is this custom Mack truck. It’s another example of a very impractical truck design.
Built for the Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of the Malaysian state of Johor who needed to drag his speedboat, this thing reportedly cost over $1 million.
Check out these over-the-top stats about the most expensive semi-truck:
– 72,000 stitches of gold thread,
– A six-camera closed-circuit TV system
– Imported leather upholstery
– Solid wood flooring
– Stone-topped counters
– XBOX and Playstation
We don’t want to know what the taxes would cost on a truck like the Sultan’s. One thing is for sure, the Sultan doesn’t have to pay HVUT and IFTA taxes. But you do.
Fortunately, Express Truck Tax is here to give you service fit for a king.
If you would like to share photos of your truck, we would love to feature them on our blog. Photos can be submitted after E-Filing the IRS Form 2290 at ExpressTruckTax.com
– Richard Harmon – 2003 Peterbilt “BushHauler” If you would like to share photos of your truck, we would love to feature them on our blog. Photos can be submitted after E-Filing the IRS Form 2290 at ExpressTruckTax.com Stay Safe on the Road!
Note: We are proud to showcase our clients’ trucks on our blog! If you are one of our clients, please send us a picture and details about your truck and we will be happy to post them here. Thank You!
We are proud to showcase our clients’ trucks on our blog! If you are one of our clients, please send us a picture and details about your truck and we will be happy to post them here. Thank You!
– Javier Muniz – Mr. Herman Tompkins with our sister company TLS Note: We are proud to showcase our clients’ trucks on our blog! If you are one of our clients, please send us a picture and details about your truck and we will be happy to post them here. Thank You!
– I just spent 2 days buffing her out Note: We are proud to showcase our clients’ trucks on our blog! If you are one of our clients, please send us a picture and details about your truck and we will be happy to post them here. Thank You!
– We have owned this 2009 Peterbilt and have had no problems at all. We polish every year to make it look the best. We are proud of our truck.
We are proud to showcase our clients’ trucks on our blog, if you are one of our clients, please send us a picture and details about your truck and we will be happy to post them here. Thank you!
We are proud to showcase our clients’ trucks on our blog, if you are one of our clients, please send us a picture and details about your truck and we will be happy to post them here. Thank you!
