1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 
Changing 62 tyres in 40°C...
Page 66
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
tough truckies Down Under
It's the height of an Aussie summer in Ka rratha, and Rob Bilato tells us even the trucks are sweating...
It's 40'C. out here in the sticks and not the best time for heavy manual labour... which would he fine if heavy manual labour wasn't top of the agenda afterjust about every journey. Trouble is the trucks are badly affected by the heat—even more than the guys, if that's possible.
We run as much as we can at night so the trucks don't have to work too hard.The heat strains the engines, uses much more diesel and makes the tyres disintegrate when you brake.
Last week we had to change every single tyre on one of the rigs —that's 62 tyres. Myself, the driver and one of the lads who was visiting from Alice stripped off and replaced each tyre, one by one. It was sweltering, exhausting work .Also extremely expensive. Each steer tyre costs $880, each drive tyre is $600 and the trailer tyres are $500 each. Makes me shudder to think of it.
Every driver carries eight spares out on the road and changes them on his own when necessary. When he's used them all up or he's passing Port Headland he'll stop and drop them off for repair or, if they're irreparable, order new ones.
Blown blower
And it's not just the tyres which cost us dear. Last week one of the turbos blew on a Kenworth: $6.000 to have a new one fitted. I don't think anyone knows what makes them go like that sometimes, but these conditions are punishing for our fleet.
We're still busy in Karratha, servicing the local mines.The miners work right through Christmas, soil doesn't look as though I'll be getting any time off. I'll take Christmas day perhaps. One of the drivers will be going back to Alice Springs to see his kids, so we'll be one man down already My family is heading back to Alice too, but the one day off I have isn't enough time to join them — it's a 24-hour trip.
My partner Imelda is going there to put one of our houses on the market.We've decide to sell both our houses in Alice and settle permanently in Karratha.The work is strong here and my brothers Frank and John will continue to run the Alice branch of the operation. Besides, the quality of life here is much better—not least that breeze off the ocean.
I'm hoping to win the contract for another mine a little further away than the Radio Hill mine we service now. It's the same company. hence my determination to keep in their good books. Cancelling my Christmas? In this game, it's a small price to pay..