Secret Men’s Business 103: Big Al Linnett
Big Al Linnett owns Bulldog Haulage and hails from Balranald. He, surprise, surprise, turned up at Echuca with one of those classic V8 Mack Superliners that every man and his (bull) dog is currently lusting after. Talking of dogs, Al’s truck is adorned with sayings, from the name ‘Doggy Style’ on the bonnet, to a cartoon of two bulldogs hard at it with the moniker underneath, ‘Keeping the breed alive’.
“I’ve had the truck 18 years and am the fourth owner. It was a Forest Commission truck originally and had a float on it. I worked it up until around three years ago, and now she’s the flashiest yard truck you will ever get.
“I’ve had plenty of offers to buy it but I keep telling them I’m not that broke yet. These trucks are very, very popular at the moment. The price seems to be going up and up, but it would be hard to part with one of the best looking trucks that ever came in the market. I keep saying that the Missus will be gone before it.”
Big Al changed the original Peterbilt bunk to a bigger Coonabarabran bunk which is 54 inches. Given that he is no longer ‘big’, having dropped 70 kg thanks to a stomach bypass, he could probably have kept the old one.
The motor has done about 1.5 million K’s. “I haven’t touched it apart from a couple of heads and a turbo and replaced the fuel pump, all of which is normal wear and tear. The driver is more worn out than the truck.”
I suggest that she would have a few stories to tell which prompts the response, “Yep, but what happens in the bunk stays in the bunk.”
Which leads me to ask about the name ‘Alison’ above the passenger door. “A sheila I picked up along the way who stuck with me.” I point out that this story might get him into a lot of shit. The response? “Only the shovels vary.”
Truckin With Kermie is proudly supported by Combined Waste Services
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