Just a Trucking Nightmare

Australia grew on icons

That inspired the nation’s heart,

And it’s hard to really fathom

Where this tale of woe should start.

So put aside the golden fleece

That made this country great:

It was the trucking legends

That got us through the gate.

Cowboys of the highway,

Was the way they were described,

Gangsters running roughshod

And doing it with pride.

No government had the answer

To curb this terror cell;

They were the best at what they did,

And they managed rather well.

Every government tried its hardest

To make these truckies wilt.

Hit them with so many charges

And taxed them to the hilt:

Road tax, fees on mileage

Were a clever way to go.

Hit them if they’re overweight,

And maybe the will slow.

But not these truckie icons –

They had a trick or two:

One called “Green Dog Stephens”

Was stirring up a brew;

Had all his trust mates state wide

Convinced that he was right

To break every rule before them

And conjure up a fight.

Well, it happened down on Razorback,

When they blocked the Hume at night.

Thousands were left stranded,

‘twas not a pretty sight.

Semis stretched for miles each way

As drivers pulled the pin;

Whilst Wran and all his bureaucrats

Thought it a ghastly sin.

Ten days the blockade lasted,

‘til the government gave some ground.

To come up with a compromise,

a new strategy was found:

We’ll rid you of your charges

And make it fair for all concerned;

Give you back a living

That you have rightly earned.

Well, road tax, it was gone for sure,

But what they did instead

Was tax every other item

‘til each rig was in the red.

Taxes went on tyres and fuel

And every part they bought.

Every time they turned around,

There was another rort.

Truckies have fought long and hard

To make their lot worthwhile,

Stretched every boundary known to man

As they pushed that country mile.

But every time they checked their bank

And thought they’re on a winner,

The only thing that hit them

Was their balance getting thinner.

What’s on a truckie’s mind

As he tracks that dotted line?

Will he reach his destination

Or end up with a fine?

Will the RTA, the scaleys

Or the cops be on his tail?

Will the finance company grab his rig

And have it up for sale?

Next time you pass a truckie,

Please consider where he’s at,

The problems he endures each day –

It would be nice to tip your hat.

Let him know you care a bit

About what he’s going through;

That he’s the backbone of this nation

And considered Aussie through and through.