Schoolies kids will get a surprise visit from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) with a pop-up marquee on the Gold Coast, ensuring school-leavers know how to drive safely around trucks.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news and classifieds from Australia’s transport industry.
- Don’t miss a second and subscribe to our monthly Deals on Wheels magazine.
- Sell your truck with Australia’s #1 truck classifieds
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says while schoolies festivities usually see young people doing more dancing than driving, the NHVR was committed to reminding school-leavers about the importance of heavy vehicle safety as they embark on their post-schooling journeys.
“Graduating school is an incredibly exciting time, and with this cohort of young adults, it’s important to make sure they are equipped with all the tools they need to safeguard their futures,” he says.
“Understanding how to drive safely around trucks is one part of ensuring these young people will thrive in life beyond high school.
“Getting your licence and going on road trips, drive-through runs or other day-to-day activities all involve sharing the road with heavy vehicles.
“From our research, only half (52 per cent) of learner drivers have done practical lessons driving alongside trucks, so if we can help spread the message about how to do so safely, then we can help to save lives.”
Recently, the NHVR hosted a pop-up marquee at the Schoolies Nation Festival on Seaworld Drive.
As part of the ‘Don’t #uck With A Truck’ safety campaign, young attendees had the opportunity to go inside the back of a semitrailer and take part in a video arcade game to test their road knowledge.
There was a $500 petrol voucher giveaway and other learning activities to help them feel more comfortable sharing the road with trucks, as well as the ‘Everybody Has A Secret’ podcast co-hosts, Annabelle Lee and Louis Hanson who attended with the NHVR for the event.
Annabelle and Louis asked young drivers about:
- A time when they’ve been too impatient, such as not giving trucks enough room when overtaking,
- A time they’ve ghosted someone, such as sitting in a truck’s blind spot, and
- A time they’ve gotten too close to someone, such as cutting in front of a truck without leaving them enough room to stop.
Read more:
- ‘Bakewell Blue’ matching Kenworths dazzle crowds at Yesteryear show
- Castlemaine Truck Show set to take over the town this weekend
- Collins Honey buzz around Bendigo with beehives in tow
- Hino hits the mark for B&J Reeves Transport
- Shell Card now accepted at more than 1,500 sites in Australia
Check out the Deals on Wheels Facebook here.