Trucks That Give Back

“Without Trucks, Australia Stops”

We’ve all seen this on the back of trucks all around Australia. And when we think about it, it’s absolutely spot on. The road transport industry, and specifically the trucking industry, is an indispensable part of the Australian economy. However, the contribution of trucks to broader Australian society goes beyond economics. From drought-relief hay runs to transporting food for the homeless, trucks have long played a big part in helping to positively impact communities in need. But in spite of this, the trucks that enable these humble initiatives rarely receive even a passing mention. So in this blog post, at least, we want to remedy that and help give credit where it’s due, looking at the integral role these mighty road machines play in the operations that literally change lives for the better. Waste not, want not—OzHarvest to the food rescue The good folks at OzHarvest are on a mission to combat food waste. One of Australia’s foremost perishable food rescue organisations, OzHarvest collects excess food from commercial businesses and donates it to charities across the country. OzHarvest’s Isuzu NLRs, making efficient food rescue and transportation possible. (Photo credit: OzHarvest) Initially sustained by only a van to help transport meals to communities in need, the organisation may have started as a small operation, but it has now grown into a fully fledged charity with a national presence—which means larger transport vehicles are needed. In fact, their Brisbane fleet recently added two new Isuzu refrigerated trucks to their fleet. And these trucks have a greater impact than one might think; they’ve already contributed to the delivery of over half a million meals in Queensland alone. Bright yellow OzHarvest trucks now pepper major cities and towns, ensuring timely and efficient transportation of fresh food to communities from a myriad of sources and venues, such as airports, corporate shows, shopping centres, and even film and TV sets. Big wheels, bigger minds—Life Education: Mission Possible Here’s an organisation that’s serious about health and life education for the next generation. Fuelled by the desire to keep young Australians safe and healthy, Life Education travels to different schools in different regions, providing educational programs in mobile learning classrooms on a variety of health-related subjects, including cyber safety, nutrition, drugs and alcohol. But in order for Life Education to achieve their vision and mission across Australia, the question of transport is a big one. And this is where trucks come into the equation for the work they do. No class is complete without Australia’s favourite giraffe, Healthy Harold—Life Education’s mascot and their dedicated Isuzu truck. The trucks are an integral part of Life Education’s operations, being the means of transporting their teaching crew and the mobile learning classrooms to schools all across the country, wherever they’re needed. Life Education’s mission to make children’s health and safety a priority has seen organisations, including Isuzu Australia Limited, donate items like trucks. In such a context, it’s fair to say that trucks are truly helping to improve the health and safety of our next generation. Food trucks for more than food What’s so special about a food truck serving up good coffee and hot meals, you may ask. Well, we suppose in the larger scheme of things, the answer is this: not much is special about that—unless it’s a food truck helping people experiencing homelessness. 2nd Shot, a social enterprise food truck. (Photo credit: 2nd Shot) 2nd Shot was established to offer homeless communities in Queensland training and employment opportunities, with the chance to run the food truck itself. And in addition to that, their truck-café—furnished with the necessary bells and whistles—doubles as a training space for those forced to sleep rough. Because, as their name aptly summarises, everybody deserves a second shot. Wheels of change So, there we have it. Aside from being a mainstay of the Australian economy, trucks play a part in offering a beacon of hope to the less fortunate, literally providing the wheels needed by social organisations to make a genuine difference to our society. And in our book, that’s deserving of recognition. Want to know more about other kinds of life-saving trucks? Here’s an interesting read about the extraordinary fire trucks and how they help save lives.