Penrith does it in the wet

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Big Rigs  /  April 9, 2017

IF THERE is any industry that isn't afraid of a little rain, it's the trucking industry.

Proof of this was the ability of the 2017 Penrith Working Truck Show to carry out its 30th event, with torrential rain in the week leading up to and on the day itself.

With final truck numbers up near 200 and the regular turnout of suppliers, the show was not hampered by the weather at all.

With Mark and Liz Smith at the helm, their crew of volunteers managed to get the trucks parked up in waterlogged grounds and the trucking community turned out in force to back this prestigious event on the industry calendar.

Big Rigs caught up with Mark to get his view on the show and how the adverse conditions affected proceedings.

"This is the best show by far, made more impressive by the weather we have had in the week leading up to the event,” he said.

"The attendance numbers, of spectators, entrants and trade suppliers, reflects the community support this show possesses. People love the show, they love the museum and it shows by the turnout we have here today.

"With thanks to the drivers of all the trucks entered, we were able to get everyone on the ground, albeit with surgical precision.

"I have to thank also my team of workers, who spent the week leading up to the show having to brave the wet to get the big tent up and prepare the grounds. I was positive this show would take place rain, hail or shine.

"Finally, the way PWTS is run shows the best of spirit and organisation, in an industry which is always under siege, it reflects well to show that the trucking community is still part of the community.”

The rain didn't dampen the spirits of Josh and Alex Bravenboer, who made the trip down from Bathurst to attend their first show.

"This has been a great day out, we've seen some fine rigs and it's well worth the drive,” Josh told Big Rigs.

As for Josh's favourite rig of the show? "It's gotta be that International S-Line.”

We tracked down the owner of the neat 1998 model S-Line, one of the last off the factory line, to have a chat about his pride and joy.

Chris's dad bought the prime mover back in '05 and it's now in Chris' hands, with some custom touches to make it stand out.

Packing a DDEC III motor behind that personalised hood grille, the truck was painted five years ago, although to look at up close it's hard to tell if it rolled out of the paint booth yesterday.

Local dealerships were on hand for the day as well, with the latest trucks on the market for both big and little kids to crawl all over.

Stillwell Trucks dealer principal Mark Reynolds took some time out to talk about why their firm was involved in the show.

"We want to show we are a part of the trucking community,” he said.

"We brought eight trucks in for the show, including the Fuso to be used as a stage to help out with the event. Picked for their utility and ability, we decided we needed to bring working trucks, not show trucks, as this is a working truck show.”

One of the coolest trucks at the show was the Mercedes 1833, an off-road bonneted truck built for mining and logging applications. Powered by a 330-horsepower Zetros engine, it's the sort of machine that looks like it would go through mountains rather than other them.

One of the many suppliers to attend the show was local towing company GRS, bringing an impressive array of recovery gear since 2003.

Barry Hunt enjoyed the show as "it's really valuable to the community, it's a chance to catch up with my fellow truckies”.

"We don't always get a chance to just sit and chat and if I am seeing someone out on the road it might not be under the best circumstances,” he said.

Big Rigs also caught up with Mick Simpson, retired chaser from Wales Truck Repairs, roustabout and excellent breakfast cook.

When asked his view on the PWTS, Mick without a thought told us "it's the camaraderie that we see on show here today, a chance to see the trucking industry at its best”.

"What I like is the chance to catch up with old acquaintances and make some new ones,” he said.

The 2017 Penrith Working Truck Show again showed good reason to stake the claim as New South Wales' premier truck show and exhibited the momentum to create success against adverse conditions.

Although the weather was not the best, the trucking community came out in force to support one of the longest-established events on the trucking calendar.

With proceeds going to charity and a good time had by all, it showed a little rain won't stop the trucking community.

Photo gallery - https://www.bigrigs.com.au/news/penrith-does-it-in-the-wet/3164736/