Are You Finally Ready to Pilot a Road Train?
Road trains are part of Australian folklore and are guaranteed to turn heads wherever they go. If you've been intrigued by these monsters of the highway since you were young, you may have harboured the wish to be a driver. So, if you're finally taking action to push forward this dream, what do you need to know about driving these MC trucks?
Road Trains in the Wilderness
Multi-combination trucks are used to carry particularly heavy loads like fuel, mineral ore, livestock, or settlement supplies over very long distances across remote Australia. They are designed for one purpose and are not allowed on smaller roads or anywhere near large settlements. Some people who live in the outback are fully reliant on a road train driver to bring them general supplies about once per month.
Big Challenge
Some of these road trains can be more than 50 m long, especially if they have AB-quads connected by special dollies. They have to be carefully regulated by individual states and need highly skilled operators who must know what they are doing at all times.
On Your Own
If you want to become a road train driver, you need to have a special personality in addition to those specific skills. You may need to be a bit of a loner as you'll spend long periods of time in remote places and may not be able to see your family for weeks on end.
What You Need to Do
Certainly, you have to go through the licensing process and attend a certified training school to ensure that you are competent behind the wheel. Ideally, you will have months or years of experience driving a small truck or a range of trucks that get progressively larger as your experience grows. Then, when prospective employers can see that you are serious about your driving and have piloted a variety of different vehicles, they'll be more willing to talk. Also, it helps if you're mechanically minded so that you can fix some of those smaller issues that will inevitably crop up when you are a long distance from anywhere.
Next up
So, if you've got some experience and want to move up the ladder so you can get an MC license, take the first step and get in touch with a qualified training school. They'll explain the process and help you to get the time and experience behind the wheel.
