TRUCKIN' ON AFTER SUPERCARS
A Freightliner, an open road and a camera. You would think that nothing has changed in Paul Eddy’s world.
Image: Paul Eddy
The popular truck driver’s decision to step away from Brad Jones Racing earlier this year was a difficult one to swallow for thousands of his fans on social media and at the track. However, Paul Eddy is spending more time out on road and doing what he loves with a Freightliner badge up front.
We caught up with Paul last week to hear more about his life after Supercars.
Trucks at Tracks: You stepped out of the Freightliner Racing Coronado earlier this year, but you are still behind the wheel of a big Freightliner prime mover. How are you enjoying life after Supercars?
Paul Eddy: “I am loving doing some more kilometres. I always classed myself as a truck driver. It’s something I spent 12 years doing before Supercars. When I started looking for a job, part of it was looking for a company with Freightliners. I spent five years telling everyone how much I like them. That was something I believed, not something I was saying because of sponsorship.”
TaT: What sort of trips are you doing now? And are you enjoying the extra kilometres on the open road?
PE: “Now, I am mostly doing Albury to Brisbane. But I also run Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. I enjoy getting off the main highways and onto the single lane back roads.”
TaT: Has it been difficult to follow the journeys of your Supercars pals from afar this year? And do you see yourself in the Supercars paddock again at some point down the line?
PE: “I still follow what’s going on a bit and have been watching it when I can on TV. I wouldn’t say I haven’t missed it but I haven’t regretted my decision yet. I’ve still got some good friends in the team as well as other truckies. I might be doing a couple of two up drives later in the year with a team and have been asked to do Bathurst, but I am away on holidays then.”
TaT: You still have an enormous following on Instagram (@ozzietrucker) and people just can’t get enough of the photos taken along your journey. Are you surprised how many people are still eagerly following your travels away from the Supercars spotlight?
PE: “I met a lot of good people through Supercars on Facebook and Instagram. I tried to make myself available to talk to anyone who came looking for me and sent messages. I think that sat well with a lot of people. When I left BJR, I left them with the Facebook Stax page but it was a bit harder with Instagram, so unfortunately anyone who was following Stax had to stick with me!
Out of all I did over the past 10 years with BJR, I miss Stax the most. From hay runs to convoys to truck shows or just handing out posters at the track, it was something I enjoyed doing and took a lot of pride in. I wouldn’t say I got it right all the time, but I did try to do my best by the team, sponsors and most importantly, the fans.”
Another big thank you to Paul for finding the time to chat and for his ongoing support of Trucks at Tracks. If you haven’t already, head over to Instagram to follow his travels. @ozzietrucker is the handle!