SO YOU WANT TO DRIVE A TRANSPORTER?

Advice from those who have done it all before.

Quite often, we receive messages from people wanting to know how to get into the motorsport trucking world.

Problem is, we didn't know! The closest we’ve ever gotten was riding shotgun in the IRWIN Racing Kenworth T610 to the Superloop Adelaide 500 in 2019.

However, having done this motorsport transporter online thing for a couple of years now, we know some much wiser people who know exactly how to get into the sport.

So, we asked a few past and present motorsport truck drivers what advice they would give to somebody wanting to drive and maintain the transporters you see on our site.

Joe Sullivan – Garry Rogers Motorsport

“Typically, if you were a truck driver wanting to be involved in motorsport today, you would have a bare minimum of a semi-trailer licence with some experience driving semis. It would certainly help to have the passion for motorsport.

“Truck drivers in motorsport, particularly in Supercars which I am involved in, are usually required to be involved in the wheels and tyres program and other associated tasks connected with the race team. Keep in mind that ACTUAL truck driving is a small percentage of the job, so this is where the passion for motorsport comes in.

“I am often required to go to ride days and sponsor events in addition to race meetings, so an attention to detail and a love of “truck washing” (ha ha) are ideal in the continued presentation of the transporter as a billboard for the race team and its partners.”

Photo: Bernie Sullivan

Colin Schwartz – Tickford Racing

“To pursue a job driving a motorsport transporter, you not only need to be an exceptional driver with a flawless record, but you need to have passion.

“Truck driving is only a small part of the transporter operations role. It is a role that requires you to have mechanical knowledge and a high level of initiative.

“The majority of the transporter operators manage the wheels and tyres at the track working closely with the team’s engineers. If this sounds like something you would love to do and you’re up for travelling and spending a lot of time away from home, then I recommend you get a resume together with a detailed description of your character and go onto the team’s website, find the team manager’s email address or contact details and forward on your expression of interest.

“An even better way is to print all this out and make your way into the team’s factory and introduce yourself in person. In the past, I have spoken with many team members whom have obtained rolls within a team with the ‘old school approach’.”

Robert Davis – Grove Racing

“I would advise prospective drivers to have at least five years of interstate truck driving experience. You must be versatile, a team player, take great pride in the truck you operate and you also need to have a passion for motorsport.”

Photo: Robert Davis

Paul Eddy – Brad Jones Racing

“Obviously, you need the relevant license and a little bit of experience. But the most important thing to know is that driving the transporter is about 20% of the job.”

Luke Crum – Formerly Aussie Driver Search

“At the minimum, have a HC licence and preferably an MC licence. That way, you cover all bases. Start with support categories, as they are full of people and teams who need drivers for their trucks and if need be, volunteer your time. Also, show that you will take care of the equipment because for many these teams, the appearance of the truck means a lot. This is because they are basically a moving billboard.

“To sum up, start at the small private teams and work up as you gain a reputation.”

Darryl Kruizinga – Formerly Holden Racing Team

“My advice would be, be prepared for a lot of long hours and hard work. Truck driving in Supercars is the smallest part of the job. Most, if not all of the truckies in pit lane have to look after the race tyres as well, which is a major part of the job. You are the first one at the track, and the last to leave.

“When you are at the track, you will be fairly busy with tyre preparation for each session. The jobs are varied and would take too long to list. From set up day until the checkered flag on Sunday, all you will be doing is working, and if you are lucky enough to have some free time, you should be cleaning your truck.

Photo: Darryl Kruizinga

“When you are not at the track, you will be flat out in between events with cleaning and maintenance on the truck and trailers, plus the wheel and tyres side of things. Forget about days off on public holidays and days off in between rounds, because they nearly do not exist anymore. The race calendar rules your life. The way the series is scheduled, there is not a lot of time between events, so by the time the truckie gets back and unloads, it is nearly time to load up again and hit the road for the next event!

“I am trying not to make it sound totally s***, but that is reality. I have seen too many people come and go because they are under the illusion that all you do is drive a shiny new truck around the country, and do nothing while you aren’t driving.

“I guess if there was any other advice, it would be handy to have a trade or trade understanding to help you secure a job, plus have a good fitness level. You never know when you will be asked to do pitstops or help fix a broken car that’s had a bad day.”

Hopefully that gives you an idea of how to get started and what to expect. In the meantime, we’d love to see you on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. We also have Facebook group entirely dedicated to motorsport transporters and it’s gaining plenty of traction. You can find it here.