Dave Carter looks back at driving the 904 for Lumbars and the day it burnt to the ground.
Dave drove the 904 all over Australia in the years before it meant it’s fiery demise. One load that stands out is moving a load of mixed farm and house hold gear from Geraldton back over to the East. In Dave’s words, “ That lot of snot took all day to load. Old mate and his missus called it a day after 14 years there… they’d bought the John Oxley Motel, if I remember rightly, at Coonabarabran, and a small block between there and Gilgandra, where I unloaded. Top people… told me if I ever need a break, no charge for a room.”
“One morning, on a later run, it’s last run, the 904 went up in smoke in Hay, internal combustion, a load of compressed cotton, fully tarped, from Noth Bourke Gin and heading to Melbourne. An explosion rocked the joint, and me, around 6.30am. Right in the main street of Hay. New Reeboks all round, except the dolly. I thought one of those tyres might have popped… figured I’d get to the roundabout and change it, but 100 metres down the track, still on the main street, a second explosion.”
I jumped out and had a look and coming back down the left side of the lead trailer, axle two between the gunnel rail and the cotton bails, out shot a flame, like a flamethrower… nearly took my head off. That’s when I realised I had a serious problem and I’d best get out of there.”
“So I went over the bridge, through the roundabout, left into Deni Road, pulled over as quick as lightening and pulled the pin – all to no avail. It wouldn’t move. By then the flames were in the bunk. I couldn’t breathe and I knew if I did it’d be my last breath. I couldn’t even reach around to grab anything, so I dived out.”
“Lumbars unit was gone. All my gear was gone. And when it was all over, the two LED spotties flashed a few last times, kind of like a final goodbye. Sounds strange, but that’s exactly how it happened.””
Apart from the truck, Dave lost about $15K of personal gear, but no one was hurt, no other damage done so he reckons he was blessed that day. He recommends all drivers take out some insurance on their personal gear “You never think it’ll happen, and then it does.”
*The insurer thought the cause ma have been a fire retardant issue, the firies thought internal combustion. No mechanical issues found, driver was a non-smoker and no other vehicles were involved.
Dave is a mechanic and body maker by trade. He owns an authorised inspection centre for light and heavy vehicles in Condobolin. Dave is almost 70 and has spent two thirds of his working life on the road, driving mostly doubles and triples right throughout Australia.
Dave is an advocate for Fair Go For Truckies, fighting to create safer roads and a fair and consistent licensing system.
Do you have a story to tell? Photos to show? Contact us at desertdog@outlook.com.au.