2017 CQ Convoy Rockhampton

Horns blared as the trucks rumbled through Rockhampton for the 2017 charity fund-raising CQ Convoy

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The numbers may have been slightly down due to a number of competing events in the area, but the 2017 CQ Convoy raised around $13,000 for the RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service.

Now in its fourth year, this year’s event was held on September 2, with trucks gathering at the CQ University before travelling from North Rockhampton to the Yeppen roundabout, around the big bull and back to the showgrounds.

Recycling Transport Industries’ Kenworth T908 had lead truck honours, also leading a strong contingent of Kenworths, including eight from Emerald Carrying Company.

Emerald Carrying Company took out the award for Best Fleet.

Driver Jeff Thomson, behind the wheel of a sparkling K200, is a CQ Convoy regular. Jeff has been with Emerald Carrying Company for four years, attending the event for the past three years.

“It’s been a long week. I’ve done two and a half trips to Brisbane and back, and I washed two trucks this morning,” Jeff smiles.

Jeff Thomson drove one of eight Emerald Carrying Company trucks in the CQ Convoy.

A slightly older vintage was a 10-year-old Kenworth K104 owned by Powers Transport. The Kenworth’s driver Clare Scott was making her fourth appearance at the CQ Convoy.

With her partner away on a Northern Territory run in the couple’s Western Star 6900, Clare was keen to attend the CQ Convoy for the fourth time.

Clare says the convoy is great event for charity but believes there needs to be a bigger participation from the region’s transport companies.

“I think more people should make an effort if that can,” Clare says. “There’s a lot of people sitting at home with dirty trucks in the shed.”

Clare does a daily run to Biloela for Powers, but not before dropping her three young children off at day care.

“I absolutely love my job because as a mum I can still keep on trucking,” she says.

Clare Scott, driving a K104 for Powers Transport, was attending her fourth CQ Convoy.

The CQ Convoy received major support from gold sponsors Hopkins Bros Transport and CQ Eat Street, the latter helping to keep the masses well fed into the night.

Other sponsors included VCV Rockhampton, which showed off a stunning new custom-built Mack Super-Liner, bearing a ‘gold bulldog’ on the bonnet.

“It only came out of the factory around eight weeks ago,” says Mike Moy, the area sales representative for Mack.

The truck was made to order for a local customer, destined for hauling grain and prill.

Mike is another convoy regular, having attended the previous three events.

“VCV has supported this convoy since the inception,” he says. “We supported the one in Bundaberg when it was running, but unfortunately it finished a couple of years ago.”