New Challenges 

Well, I haven't posted anything on here for a little while, so I thought I'd catch up on some latest happenings. As some of you know, we had quite a change in our business when the mandates came in here in the NT, so, long story short, we had to sell our fridge trucks. 

That left us without work but with our prime mover and trailers, and me without a truck to drive. So, with the scramble to find work and keep afloat, and keep using our truck, I decided to get my road train license in September, as Dave was able to get work with another transport company carting cattle and hay and various other jobs. 

So, let's just say, I've learnt a lot of new things in the past couple of months. 

So, for the first time, I am able to post some of my very own adventures, this time as a driver, not a passenger. I have been able to do a bit of work with our truck and trailers and also work for another company once or twice a week doing their local freight in their Hino and Mack. Most of the time, you'll find me delivering freight in our trusty 79 series Landcruiser, but it's always fun to jump into something different. 

God has been so good, firstly, to help me learn how to handle a road train (with Dave's expert teaching, and a lot of practicing reversing trailers down our long driveway, and a great instructor that gave me a few lessons and did the testing to make it all legal), and secondly, God has been good to give me some work and a whole lot of experience, plus safety on the roads.

So, here are some photos of my recent adventures 

(I've had to resort to posting these photos off my phone, so high quality they are not!)

My rig and my usual look :)

A trip in the Mack

Station roads and dark clouds overhead

A common sight for me.    Dust.     Following Dave. 

Lining it up for a narrow causeway. 

Towing 55 tons of hay. 27 tie down straps and buckles to do up then roll up afterwards. (while getting 3rd degree burns from the boiling metal! I really need to get gloves)

Trailers in the rear-view mirror:)  

The combination of my very first run as a Road Train driver. Darwin, here we come! 

(Because of course, it's not Dave's way to give me an easy first run, never having even towed one, he gave me 2 and a half. ha ha)

One of the 'fun' things towing 3 trailers, and being last in line, is walking back 53 metres to close the gates after you, then walking back to your truck. You get your exercise at least! 

I love getting to travel with my hubby. Even if it means saying goodnight and then climbing into the bunk in our own trucks. 

Of course, my very first trip towing 3 trailers saw Dave and I leaving in the dark and the rain, travelling along the highway for 3 hours then on a dirt road for an hour, a road I hadn't been on, full of S bends, narrow causeways, washouts, buffalo etc. Dave always loves to throw me into the deep end. He says I do best that way! Hmmm. At least I had him guiding me over the radio and letting me know of what lay ahead. 

And for those who have actually made it this far down the page, I have put together a video of some of the adventures. 

If you're looking for high quality videography, high quality audio and amazingness, then, this is not for you! After resizing and resizing to meet the requirements for upload, well, it's not awesome, but maybe you'll get the idea. 

And if you actually watch the whole thing all the way through, I will be amazed. 

Enjoy. Or don't! Ha Ha

Wait... it looks like I'll have to do a second post to add the video.... watch this space...