Over the past 40 years Rod Harrod has driven more than 10 million kilometres, keeping Dubbo stocked with everything from cars to livestock to bread and newspapers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Harrod has been driving trucks of all sizes and has conservatively estimated the kilometres taking into account his many long-haul trips between Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle and Dubbo.
But despite spending so much time on the road, Mr Harrod said he’d never grown sick of it and even his passions outside of work revolve around driving.
“I’ve had a lot of jobs, I’ve tried everything but driving trucks was my real passion,” he said.
Born in Mendooran, Mr Harrod went to school in Dubbo before starting an apprenticeship as a boilermaker at the Royal Australian Navy Base on Garden Island.
He tried a few jobs before working for six years at the Water Resources before accepting a redundancy. On his way home from his final day, he ran into a man who owned trucks and needed a driver.
“I saw Brian Stewart, I called in and said ‘I’m looking for a job’ He asked me what I was doing that night and I found myself taking a load of wool to Sydney,” Mr Harrod said.
“They were long days. Eighty hours was a quiet week.”
Later Mr Harrod ended up operating his own business, Rod Harrod Car Carrying, which ran for 19 years. He ran that many kilometres that he used seven trucks in the 19 years.
Even after finishing his own business, he continued driving trucks for others. He now finds himself driving a smaller van, delivering bread
“I run out to Dunedoo, Coolah and Mendooran four days a week. I get up about midnight have breakfast back around 9am in the morning. The other day I deliver papers to Mudgee, Kandos and Rylstone,” Mr Harrod said.
“I only do about 350 kilometres a day now, at my peak I was doing about 1200 kilometres a day.”
Even with all his travelling, Mr Harrod said he had been remarkably lucky, with no serious accidents.
