Late 80’s Hume Hwy - Sesame Street Overnight Express!

[@brad4751]

got this takes me back , old man piloted for finemors from 80 to 86 had a kw cab over that thing was good for 145 on the flats ,then doons in an s line in tumut and nash's in a mint silver and black aerodyne from yass , god that thing could boogie !!!!!!!!!!! as most kids did back then we went for trips as often as we could ,had a nickname or rocket rod the old fella could steer and not many got past us but you got to know the trucks that could , think he had several licenses in different states and ive herd every tale under the sun to avoid a fine lol, he was a ratbag but never caused an accident , thanks for the trip down memory lane bud

[@tonez2231]

The comment about trucks not having wings and jet engines had me laughing... Some say Simon Kerswells AeroCat had both 😂

[@68peterbilt68]

Kerswell and Times aerodyne bagged me on the treeless plain one night, and I was at $145. I was that deflated I pulled up and went to bed. 😆👍

[@markquast9482]

I was running Sydney/Brisbane back in 1989 when the Cowper and Clybucca incedence occurred, it did have a sudden effect on drivers, operators, management, police and politicians. Certainly a precurser to many changes since. Thanks for the memories.

[@spanners94]

Travelled the Hume quite a few times during the 1980's. The old Cullerin ranges sorted a lot out. I used to cart empty pallets to Shepparton from Newcastle and the Sesame runners would leave me alone to get through there without going belly up because if the ranges were blocked they were stuffed. Most of them would say they were too scared to cart pallets, too much chance of a shifted load. When doing returns from Melbourne I'd see them coming so I'd get off the road for a couple of hours to let them pass. My old KW was only good for 110 kph flat chat. I miss those days of real truck drivers.

[@Big-Show1]

"Real truck drivers" = Speeding, Tie knots, tarping, amphetamine - Melb - Bris - Melb without a wink of sleep👍

[@brianwillert2833]

I remember those days leave Truck City 11PM arrive Sydney 6AM or leave Coode Rd. between 7:30-11:30PM to be in Brisbane no later than 2PM the next day.

[@kyleheppell2064]

Thats havin a crack!

[@donaldwayne4219]

Having a go mate, having a real go

[@davidcox8943]

Great times in the 80s 3 a week on Sesame Street back when it was single lane. I am retired now but so grateful I got to do it when it was a good job. Now they can’t get a driver although l am not surprised it’s the most over regulated industry in the country

[@colinl9018]

Unless they've got a towel with them....

[@youlross6544]

I did sesame st for a long time 70s and 80s had a blast loved every moment of it. And your right no b /doubles

[@dougtilley5977]

Your comment about has to be there at depot at a certain time, well I was driving the CK40 UD for Flemings out of Wagga Wagga , had to be back from Sydney at 8am, one night I got tired and had a camp on top of Jugiong hill , got to depot at 8:30am , the transport manager who was also the brick salesman and had never driven a truck got up me for being late, so I said to him , "I have never lost a truck, I have never lost a load, it's easier to unload it here than it is for you to pick it up off the road, " he said no more, just walked away,

[@vincentdunne7197]

That's my comment today. I tell em I'm always on time and your clock is always wrong. Dead men don't deliver loads do they good story

[@donaldwayne4219]

That's exactly right. TTS made me sit in the yard for all day because I was late in by their standards. Road Boss roadtrain rated, geared to only 115kph. I thought I was fast 😂😂😂😂. That was later, a Western Star geared to 158 kph 👍

[@attilathehundownunder5719]

I remember working in a truck stop at Beresfield (the BP on John Renshaw Drive) back in 2000. A driver came in around 10:30 or 11pm one night, bouncing off the ceiling, wanting food in a hurry. I made him up a roast roll, and asked him what the hurry was, he had to get to Brisbane via Armidale and back to the Gold Coast by 6am. I wished him good luck.. and headed home, the opposite way. I also remember the cops chasing a truckie southbound from about Wauchope on the old Pacific Hwy, he was stopped by lifting the Hexham Bridge.

[@justwanttobeleftalone9316]

Bugger you just reminded me of my misspent years with comet and yeah air freight was on road lots but I'm sure i thought i wings most night's. Cheers for your work

[@tjraw6556]

They were too busy worrying bout the cowboys they didn't see the Indians coming lol

[@robertmcfarlane3598]

Just read the comment on simons banger 185 at 22 rpm that thing could go lol real blokes real bangers real miles to all the real operators bless your heart the reverend bob

[@robertgane3691]

Well spoken.

[@dougtilley5977]

Haaa yeh TNT = Two Naughty's Tonight, then there was Ansett Freight Express, = Always F***'n Empty , oh then was IPEC = I Pass Every C***, I got knocked off near Werribee back in the mid 70's in a CK40 UD at 118Kph , was in a hurry to get to Geelong to pick up a tractor to go to Wagga . Who remembers Little Sydney Harbour eh.

[@keithclinch8587]

Not to forget Kwikasair and wards overnighters

[@thomasarmstrong3804]

Comet

[@randomoldbloke]

The good old days not ! I was a mechanic in a truck/ bus workshop back in this era and half the trucks should have not been on the road for serious defects, the worst ones were prime movers without any brakes they just used trailer brakes to stop, trucks with suspension ready to fall off and craked chassis were very common. The busses were no better. It was a race to the bottom often if a truck blew a retread that was the profit for that trip gone . There was a company running Melbourne to Perth that had a number of trucks speced out to 100mph loaded pushing out well over 550hp which was huge power back then

[@donaldwayne4219]

Used to be a W model pulling triples Perth to Darwin that could do that speed too. Tour Coach driver, bus driver 😂, wrote into Truckin Life Magazine complaining this triple passed him loaded. We all knew who it was, legend, Crazy Horse! Them days Deluxe coaches could do 160, even the Double Deckers, everything was flying across the "paddock" too, turbo's glowing red, soot pouring out the chimneys, different age, life in the fast lane 😁

[@johnkranias3458]

I remember the Putty Rd was called Sesame St, it was so bad that trucks were banned from using it.

[@dougtilley5977]

I carted 10ft wide ATCO huts down the Putty , camp at Bulga until 1am and get going, could see oncoming's lights around the 35 Kph corners, then stop again until Sun up at Colo.

[@choppersghost5439]

'Stepping out onto a limb' here. Middle-aged son, who's Father(now deceased) was a NSW HWP for 18 years. 1967 - 1976 based Southern Highlands,NSW. So, as a primary school aged lad, I've heard some things from him and other colleagues. Things young folks shouldn't have to, but there was NO 'help' for them. For the sake of a 'few cowboys' on the Hume, he had death threats, for being too good at his job. An 'unwritten contract' at one stage in the '70s, to 'bump' him or his colleague. Serious enough for my Father to procure a 12g Coach Gun, which fit under the passenger seat, but never had to use thankfully. To counter the CB radio exposure of them, Dad would stop/radar/ticket 2 - 3 trucks and some cars for a half hr. Pack up, drive up the road @ 160 for 5 minutes, cross to other side; stop/radar/ticket a few trucks/cars. Rinse and repeat 3 - 4 times, retire to a carpark lfor lunch and listen to the truck drivers: "There's bloody 2 or 3 cop cars up here and a couple down the other side there" 🤭🤭😉 Always respect to all the big wheelers doing it right and hard. Keeping things running ✊️🇦🇺🙏🙌

[@Pichu20077]

Nice, one bro🎉

[@rocketfnq4879]

With out trucks Australia stops ....

[@malcolmduncan3047]

Drove long distance coaches in the '80 and '90's, and subbied to Greyhound during peak times. It was definitely Sesame Street then. The biggest improvement now is the point to point cameras and chain of command regulations. The first one is a bit hard to fudge, and the second one is, the boss cops it instead of just sacking drivers. Before, the owners just churned through drivers as they racked up points, but now if the company gets too many infringements the truck or company is deregistered, and that costs the owner money. We ran tachographs in the coaches then, and in my opinion trucks should have as well, but the transport lobby is very good at smooging pollies, so still no tachographs.

[@AquaMarine1000]

Did the speeding reporter get a ticket?

[@darshparmar7679]

It’s is hard to get around all the regulations,that’s why were getting more Indian drivers to deal with that 😂.

[@dougtilley5977]

wankers

[@colinl9018]

And most of them couldn't drive a greasy stick up a dead dog's arse!

[@keithclinch8587]

Spent many a night running up and down the hume in the 70s 80s no B doubles then all trailers and ridgids doing express freight , was great times but did lose a few mates

[@robertmcfarlane3598]

My name is Rob the rev I drove in those days these blokes of today wouldn't have a clue how to drive a banger I lived for the night what a joke my truck was geared to 160 ks at 22 hundred rev I believe I lived in the best times of the interstate days you today guys have never lived

[@cobypayne9131]

Not now can’t even get a radio check

[@rhysgilbert5942]

Here in Brisbane you will get Elmo and "I have a big coc#"....lol

[@rhysgilbert5942]

I worked for a major Star freight company, and as a local driver we had to have our airbags etc bag as soon as possible to be loaded on the Sydney truck. I was told an air freight bag would make it to Sydney quicker than a plane and the customer was charged airfreight

[@chrismckell5353]

​@@rhysgilbert5942Used to hear I got a pink frock coming out of or into Adelaide, is that drongo up there now?

[@karloz83]

It’s the Hume. HO down the Hume. Trucks are made to go a lot faster then allowed in aus look at America they run 90mph our government and roads are too stuffed for that regulations as well sad

[@thomasarmstrong3804]

The ones that Amazed me where the ones that did AIR FREIGHT to Perth

[@johnkillen4161]

Did that in 86 with my uncle 2 up in a w model of GKR for a while. Wait in Melbourne on Friday night for the Sydney air freight to arrive at Grace express Saturday morning, leave any time between 8.3 11.00 am be in Perth 6.00 am . There was some quick trucks around then. Best we did was 36 , heard Clevelands have done 34 . Thats a fair effort fun times and a lot of good operators and people.

[@johnkillen4161]

Monday morning

[@AnarchyEnsues]

Often companies used to supply speed and other stimulants to keep their drivers going. My mate was working for a truck and dog operator in 2008, when they were building the Clem 7 tunnel in Brisbane. If he did 3 loads a night, they would get a bonus... They were doing 100kmh down coronation drive and past Milton out to Ipswich. And then back... Some people won't like it... But I don't mind the push for digital logbooks... Shut the cowboy shit down. Need to be more professional.

[@peternewman958]

All this over speeding led to the introduction of the 100kmh speed limiters.

[@brettmorton7365]

Yeah you can pile up 100 cars on the highway, thats ok.. but if you pile up 100 cars and 1 truck it's a "truck accident" and everyone just jumps in to blame the truck. Of course there are good and bad drivers in all types of vehicles.. everyone seems so impatient these days

[@NewstartGarageOZ]

Shame very few give Trains the respect they deserve

[@louiskats5116]

Forget the Hume piss weak jump on the Western Highway & join the Perth Runner running out of Melbourne, Friday night & be in Perth early morning Monday. Western Highway , Duke Highway early 90's, 140 kph through Keith, Tintinara, Tailem Bend no backing off. How did we do it in 425hp , 13 speed or 15 speed, no air bag suspension & no by passes. People knew how to drive, communicate everyone spoke & looked out for each other. Those 2 bus crashes changed NSW but not SA. Fun time , yes no B Doubles & Tautliners, no Alloy Wheels. An era of Aussie Trucking we will never see again. Leave Virginia at 5pm Melbourne time cut through Adelaide, up the Adelaide Hills the old road twist & turns. All way through SA no overtaking lanes, through Nhil, Ararat & Ballarat before the bypass. No Western Ring Road down Ballarat Rd through Footscray into Fruit Market the absolute latest 2 am. 8 & half hours fully loaded in a W Model Kenworth. 400 HP, 3406B Caterpillar with a 15 speed overdrive. Torsion Bar Rear Suspension. 36 inch sleeper Spider's 3:7.1 rear ratio. Yet it got done day in day out. Enough Said I was there seeing Kerswell 700hp Aerodyne Kenworth Cabover eat Constantino Super Liners up for dinner at over 150 kph. Those guys & companies just on a whole new level plus Perth Runners. Donaldson Brothers Schultz GKR All single trailers & all bats out of hell.

[@stevel1451]

Done Sydney/Perth and return for 10 years in a 320 F model then a 300 Valueliner. Left Sydney Friday night, arrived Perth 6am Monday morning and back in Sydney Friday again, near every week of the year. Those were the days we were real drivers back then, not like we have now and all the carnage that comes with them.

[@danielaustin8724]

First!

[@Brad_The_Truckie]

Ha ha nothings changed except most trucks are speed limited now. Still dosent stop them sailing down the hills, had a double fly past me on 4 consecutive hills doing 120 plus. The companies let them do it but if they get caught it’s on the driver. But an investigation into the tracking will show they constantly do it and cor laws come in. Great look back, but it’s still Sesame Street.

[@68peterbilt68]

Ah yes, the good old days. When the dumb ones didn't last long. Anyone around back then knew what it was really like. Go when you needed to lean on it, cruise when you didn't. 128kph was slow. That's the way it was. And yes, it was another time. BUT, at least the smart drivers who weren't up to speed knew they could sit in the rocking chair and learn how it was done if they were smart. Sideways thru the Cullerins, lauching it off Wagga or steps and stairs, it all was about educating yourself to survive, cos if you fkd up, you were soon told 😄 Try missing a gear pulling up Jugiong in the middle of happy hour. Guilty. I never did it again. Imagine those trucks on the race track they call the Hume now? And we were slow when we ran to Perth, because at $1.60, 2 trailers go round you, your ego went psssssss.... Thank you to all the originals who helped my education and carried the country. You are not forgotten. If you have the knowledge, pass it on, cos the industry at present is in danger of becoming nothing more than an office job, with a changing view every morning. Truck on. 🤟😎👍🚛🚛🚛

[@nearlythere1957]

🤠

[@BigRed-MWA]

That bus was caused by a guy who committed suicide in a car Not a truck. I know the driver of the bus they found a note left behind. 🤬🤬🤬