Maralyn Bierwith
WOMEN IN TRUCKS
BY MELISSA BARNETT
What is it about the long , straight , seemingly endless roads that criss-cross Australia that capture our hearts and imaginations ? With rail freight in steady decline , trucks have become the main means of moving everything from fresh food to furniture on the tarmac arteries of our country and cities . Driving these great behemoths was once the monopoly of blokes in stubbies and blue singlets , but that is changing . There are more women in trucks – in coal mines , quarries and cities – than you think , and they love their jobs .
Maralyn Bierwith
Maralyn Bierwith ’ s seen more of the open road than most of us . The 71-yearold has only just retired from driving her big Kenworth 909 triple trailer road train the 3,037 km-long Stuart Highway from Adelaide to Darwin once a week , delivering freight to supermarkets in Darwin . “ Oh , I hate not being able to drive my truck but my doctor ’ s warned me , so I better take his advice .” The independent Maralyn had a fall in 2015 while she was hooking the trailers onto her beloved truck , fracturing her vertebrae . She may not be able to drive anymore , but the friends she made while truck driving continue to drop in for a cuppa and a chat . “ I love to have a chat . The other drivers always knew when it was my turn to drive because I was always on the two-way having a chat . It gets lonely on that road in the middle of the night .”
Until her retirement Maralyn used to drive ‘ two-up ’ with her husband John . Husband and wife driving teams are becoming increasingly popular with long
“ When you stop in the middle of the desert at night and look up at the stars , there ’ s nothing like it . It ’ s wonderful . I just love it .”
~ Maralyn Bierwith
38 HONESTLY WOMAN MAGAZINE - SUBSCRIBE NOW