Long Distance Trucking in Australia
As the twentieth century has progressed, so too has the importance of the truck and truck transportation, especially in Australia where distances are vast, populations scattered, and the reach (not to mention the efficiency) of the railways limited.
In his book, Jeffrey Ffrost, himself a key figure in the trucking industry, gives a detailed history of road transport in Australia paying particular attention to the role of government and government regulation. Much of this history has been that of a struggle against restrictions, extravagant taxation and harsh penalties - most of them imposed by governments anxious to give the railways the lion's share of haulage and to protect parochial economic interests. Issues covered range from the first Section 92 dispute of 1920, through problems and triumphs of the Depression and war years through to the 1990s.
'They Came Like Waves' is also highly anecdotal, generously illustrated and includes vivid pen portraits of battlers and pioneers in the industry that has perhaps done more than any other to open up the country.
