Riding the road trains: How fuel cartage has changed

Glenn Scott fell in love with road trains in northern Australia. It’s a passion that’s stayed true over decades, from driving through to his current role as Fuel Operations Manager for Road Trains of Australia.

From co-driver to lead driver and moving into transport management, Glenn reflects on the changing industry and the value of relationships.

By the time he was travelling and getting a thrill from seeing three trailers and a pro-mover driving past, Glenn’s farming background meant he already had some experience driving trucks and trailers.

“We went to Broome and I thought I might stay and get a job driving,” Glenn recalls.

After approaching two businesses, he proved himself and took a role as co-driver of a three-trailer road train carrying cattle between Broome to Perth.

“I started off as a co-driver for 12 months then I became a lead driver, mainly on the Gibb River Road and elsewhere in northern Australia. I was 21 when I first drove a road train.”

“Coming from a small farming area, where you weren’t allowed to go over 12 or 13 metres with your truck and trailer, seeing something that’s 53 metres long… it’s amazing!” says Glen.

But learning to drive one was no minor undertaking.

“It’s a bit of a challenge. Understanding how it all works and how to operate it was quite something. You had to start with the maintenance side, getting to know these vehicles and how to keep them going.”

As a co-driver, Glenn recalls an equal focus on driving and mechanical skills.

“You started from the front and worked all the way to the back, looking after the bearings, changing the tyres and monitoring all the wearing bits and pieces on the carriage of the trailer,” he says.

How drivers communicate with each other and back to base has changed a lot since Glenn first drove road trains.

“Back in those days, we didn't have mobile phones or even satellite phones,” he says.

“The radio often didn’t work in remote areas, unless it was at night. They might not hear you and it was scratchy.”

Drivers got to know the routes and where to stop to stay on schedule and make their daily check-in call.

“We’d leave Broome knowing our first port of call was the Swagman at Port Hedland. You’d have your shower and your feed, then find the telephone box. I’d have a jar full of coins in the truck so I could make a phone call and let the boss know I was on track and how my day had gone.”

Map technology has also come a long way since Glenn started driving.

“Early on, it was mud maps on a bit of paper,” laughs Glen.

“The maps would tell you what was what, because there was no GPS. It would be: drive down this road until you see the big tree, then turn left and go for 57km until you see three mailboxes on the right.”

Glenn says sharing this information also meant drivers keeping each other safe.

“It was more than just where to go, we’d share information on driving conditions and things to watch out for, like a corner with dips that could tip you over, or tricky river crossings.”

This shared info became the first versions of the modern journey management plans drivers use today via apps and GPS.

“We’d map the route out on paper: how long it should take and where times might vary, what supplies you’d need, the best places to stop,” says Glenn.

“We were doing a lot of that before GPS tracking became available. You’d rely on that journey plan.”

Glenn sees the biggest change for journey planning is moving to electric trucks.

“That'll be a very different way of doing things,” he says.

“It’ll change how often and where drivers stop. It’ll be interesting to see if the technology will support doing 1,000km a day in remote areas.”

Alongside the sense of community, a commitment to driver safety continues to attract people to the industry.

“Everyone tries to look after each other,” he says.

“Everything is moving faster, everyone has deadlines and there’s more pressure to stay on schedule as you get from A to B. We’re all trying to do the best we can and make sure everyone goes home safe,” he says.

Glenn says the ways things were done years ago were different — but not necessarily unsafe.

“We didn’t used to be monitored for fatigue management,” he says.

“But when we saw a truck coming the other way, we’d pull up to have a cup of tea. That was our break, how we connected, and how we swapped information on road conditions. You’d have a yarn and find out what was ahead — to watch that last river crossing because it’s been washed out and it's pulling to the left.”

With the average age of truck drivers in their early 60s, Glenn is concerned that younger people are finding the job less attractive.

“There’s definitely a lifestyle of being a truck driver, and that’s changing with technology and pressure on supply chains. I find that a lot of people who get into the fuel cartage industry, stay in it. I still enjoy the challenges, even if I’m not out on the road seeing the countryside.”

Glenn credits positive relationships and partnerships for Road Trains Australia running smoothly and safely — from drivers through to fuel suppliers like Viva Energy who proudly sell Shell fuels and lubricants throughout Australia —.

“I’ve known lots of people in the industry for donkeys’ years, and now we’re all growing old together,” he laughs.

“When you're operating 90 vehicles across 9 depots, it’s important to have the open and honest relationship we have with our fuel supplier. We talk everything through, from potential issues to new ways of doing things. It’s that sort of industry.”

Glenn says with change on the agenda through new technologies and a shift to net-zero carbon emissions, you want companies who are keeping up with industry progress and thinking about the future.

“When we guarantee reliability, our clients trust us. They depend on us, and we depend on Shell fuels and lubricants to get us there.”