Archive, Industry News

Truckies like jillaroo Jess’ safety video

After narrowly avoiding an accident jillaroo Jess Edwards made a Facebook video reminding drivers not to overtake turning trucks. Over one million people have seen the video

 

Outback jillaroo Jess Edwards made headlines this month when her impromptu Facebook video about truck safety went viral.

Jess is assistant manager at a cattle station in the Pilbara, Western Australia, and drove a three-trailer road train during the mustering season from June to September.

She loves the Outback scenery she sees from the 2012 Kenworth T659. But she is always conscious that truck driving is “one of the most dangerous jobs in the world”.

Recently a 4WD attempted to overtake Jess on her left as she was turning left.

Pumping with adrenaline after the near-miss, she pulled the Kenworth into a farm gateway to collect her thoughts.

Before her heart rate returned to normal she pressed record on her mobile phone to make a video of what she would have told the 4WD driver if he or she hadn’t continued along the North West Coastal Highway without so much as an apologetic wave.

To Jess’s amazement, support from her Facebook followers and the trucking community helped the two-minute video go viral. It has been viewed more than a million times.

In the video, Jess shows us the “bloody big whoppin’ tyre” and “bloody big whoppin’ bull bar” and assures us we don’t want to be hit by either of them.

Then she kneels down at the back of the trailer. “I don’t know how they do it but these things – indicators – magically show you where we’re going to go,” she says in a Play School voice, reminding cars not to overtake turning vehicles.

Jess uploaded the video to her Jillaroo Jess Facebook page and was amazed by the response from truckies and their families.

“They loved it. I think they were happy to hear someone standing up for them.”

You can see the video here and follow Jess’s adventures on her Jillaroo Jess Facebook page.

Read about Jess’s trucking career in the November issue of Owner//Driver. Secure your copy here.

 

 

 

 

Previous ArticleNext Article
Send this to a friend