A tribute to the truckies of Australia

A portrayal of people, tales of trucks and pictures of the past — that’s what the National Road Transport Museum is all about. 

Based in Alice Springs, the museum not only wants to preserve the history of transport, but also aims to honour and recognise the people who make up the industry. 

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CEO of the NRTM, Nick Prus, emphasises his respect toward workers in transport and says educating the public, especially younger people, about the importance of the industry is his main goal.

“We need to honour the people in transport,” he says.

“They deserve more recognition than what they’re receiving right now, and have been getting for the past 30 years.

“I know it’s a cliché, but without trucks Australia stops — they’re the heroes of the road.”

As a former truckie, Prus understands the hardships of life on the road.

“If you spend even six months following that white line, you will start to understand.

“All the birthdays missed, your kids growing up, anniversaries… it’s the loneliness that catches up with you.”

Delivering on their promise of honouring men and women within the transport industry, the cream of the crop are celebrated at a gala dinner and awarded with a memorial plaque at the Festival of Transport every year.

The ever-growing Wall of Fame is another example of celebrating drivers, as they receive a medal for their efforts, along with a picture and their story framed upon the famous wall. 

The Wall of Fame recognises transport drivers from all around Australia

Prus says he also likes to take time to recognise the wives of truckies and fleet owners, who are often a strong source of support, if not also taking an active role in the industry.

Graciously donating one of their rigs to the museum, Frank Marley and his wife from Marleys Transport in Perth are a great example of a couple working together to make it all happen. 

Now in his 70s, Frank, with the help of his wife, runs an impressive fleet of 128 rigs.

“I like to say it’s the women behind the men, behind the wheel,” he says.

“While someone is running the trucks, someone else needs to do the books and get the kids to school. They’re the backbone of the company.”

Prus says these are the people we need to be celebrating.

The appreciation for truckies doesn’t end there — in fact, it pretty much begins with Kurt Johannsen’s Diamond T named ‘Bertha’.

Prus names her “arguably” the world’s first road train, pulling seven trailers from Adelaide to Darwin in the 1940s. Now in 2024, she sits frozen in time in the Trucks in Action Pavilion (TIA).

Taking his hat off to the truckies that got behind the wheel, Prus says that after driving Bertha once for no more than a kilometre, he had already had enough.

“Back in the day, she was driven on a dirt road, with no power steering and no air con,” he says in disbelief. “You’re pulling seven trailers!”

Alongside Bertha, the NRTM proudly boasts a unique truck collection.

Adding to the list is the last Iveco truck ever built in Australia, a preservation of Australia’s engineering.

The TIA shed is home to classic B-model Macks, vintage trucks and cars, while Australia’s first 1971 Kenworth is settled in the Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame, carefully restored to its original condition. 

The Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame won’t leave you disappointed

The hall is a staggering 1,022 square metre display, devoted to Australian designed and built Kenworths.

However, this museum isn’t just a display of vintage vehicles and current truckies, but a forever home for those who have passed.

Drivers often decide to scatter their ashes in the NRTM’s Memorial Pond, where their memory can live on inside the historic walls of the transport museum.

“This is part of our mission here, we want to be part of a place where the transport industry calls us their home, we’re not just a museum,” Prus  says.

Excitedly, he explains how the Northern Territory Government generously granted $3.5 million to the NRTM, which he plans to use to pursue a long-time dream.

Taking into account the current shortage of truck drivers, Prus  plans to build a truck driving school right next to the museum, combining old memories with new career opportunities.

“Here in central Australia, there aren’t as many opportunities, so almost every trucking company would employ drivers tomorrow,” he says.

Prus expresses his thanks to the NT Government for realising the importance of the museum, not just to Alice Springs, but to the whole nation. 

Vintage trucks galore

With love and passion at the forefront of this museum, Prus  says there’s nothing else he’d rather do.

“I’m like a kid in a toy store,” he says. “It’s not a job, it’s adventure… it’s passion.”

With plenty to see and do, it takes about two and a half hours to really get the most out of the museum.

Next year is the NRTM’s 30th anniversary, and the celebrations are going to be big.

Planned for August 2025, the museum will host drag races, truck shows, gala dinners and more, with talk of 1,000 people set to make their way up to Alice Springs for a week to remember.

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