The Road Ahead was in the Hunter to give careers presentations to middle and senior students at Glendale, West Wallsend, Maitland and Dungog high schools. The tour, sponsored by McGrath Newcastle concluded with an appearance at the region’s annual Road Transport Awareness Day.

The presenter was Glen Schmidtke, long distance driver and former NSW Police highway patrol officer.

“The young people we are meeting have old fashioned views about trucking. The great thing about taking The Road Ahead to schools is we can show them the technology that goes into making a modern truck safer and more environmentally friendly than trucks of a generation ago.”

“We can also explain the importance of trucking to modern society and the fantastic career opportunities offered by local operators”, Glen said.

Another key role of The Road Ahead exhibition is to make young motorists aware of the characteristics of heavy vehicles that affect their performance on the road.

“We get the kids in the driver’s seat of our Volvo and they can see for themselves the dangers of travelling in a truck’s blind spots. This information is not part of their road ready courses, but it is crucial and will save lives.”

Pictured with Glen Scmidtke (centre), West Wallsend High School teacher Danny Winter and deputy principal Robyn Leggatt OAM. Robyn is a former Hockeyroos captain and coach and was awarded her medal for services to sport.