Diving an 18 Speed Road Ranger in Thick Traffic 

Good commentary mate, for someone like me whose intending to get a MR licence this year it’s really insightful watching your videos.

Gday Johnno. I’m the bloke who has the son who wanted to hear more engine sound. Just got the chance to show him and he said it is just the best. Thankyou mate

18 speed R/Ranger is my all time favourite 29 years on the highways throughout Australia's outback, but I had to give it up for health reasons and I'd be going back as soon as i get a few surgeries done if all is well. Great videos m8tey thanks Cheers!

You love that Right-Hand Lane Mate

ahh, the sounds of the splitter and range change as you pull up (pssst, click-clunk!) bring back many a child hood memory of sitting in the passenger seat of the 650 KW as it worked thru newcastle and sydney. The deep growl as she worked up one side of the blue mountains, then getting rocked to sleep in the bunk and the sweet lulliby of the Cat jakes on the 3406 coming off mt victoria as we head back west to home in central west nsw ❤. Im no driver but with the old man hoping in and out of quite a few over the years (did years on the road with a big blue and red crew running across the middle when the original owners still had it, now working closer to home one an east coast "milk run") i cant help but love em. Love the channel Johno 👌🍻

This is the channel I needed!!!! As a kiwi temporarily in QLD I need this kind of content. Just subbed.

Mate, you gotta buy a lottery ticket after that lot! Traffic on Gympie Road was as good as it gets and them some, and you found only courteous drivers! Dream drive! BTW I take the longer Gateway Mwy and avoid Gympie Rosd like the plague…

I really like your Chanel, easy to watch and advice is great. Thank you

Re manual gearboxes, I started trucking life in a Cummins powered C-1800 bogie International, then into an 8 wheeler heavy duty hub reduction Leyland Reiver, constant mesh box, diesel V8 Perkins and a very firm clutch, then Mack RS 600's with twin stick quad boxes, fine when you have young knees,......... any way through the years lots of welcome changes including air assist clutches, much better seats, and as for entry to cab well some of the older European trucks had an outer rim on the front wheel for stepping up to the cab, with wet boots I lost count of how many times I slipped off loosing some leg bark, later a cab over Freightliner (Frightliner) Argosy that had automatic swing out step when the door was opened, however if you accidently closed the door getting in it swung in with you on it, then off it! I still remember the deep throb of an E9 V8 Mack, N14 Cummins, even years ago an air cooled Magirus Deutz and who can forget the sound of a White Roadboss with a 6-71 supercharged GM 13 speed RR with full clacking Jake coming down the Great Deviding Range Driving wheat and cotton seasons out in western NSW and Queensland the dust always found a way of getting into the old trucks, R 190 Inters, Mack B lines etc , was just part of the job, sadly the dust still manages to get in but we get fridge freezers, cold air con and wide bunks in our sleepers now, a long cry from a tarp and swag under the trailers and Hessian water bags on the bullbar for cool water, and a Coleman single burner gas hob. I tried an auto shift Eaton 18 speed recently....at my age I could get comfortable with that, the left knee makes more noise than a Jake brake now and getting up to the cab is harder, I do like the hydraulic trailer legs over the old crank handle but its a different game now and and its harder to work on the new rigs where 'Everything' is wired to a complex group of ECUs, and requires a computer nerd with a laptop to overthrow an errant code fault! We now have satellite tracking, speed cameras, phone cameras, point to point cameras and tight time on demand with penaltys for late show when driving a 1000k interstate run. Times have changed and I still do the odd bit of driving but the time is coming when I won't be able to, they took my roadtrain endorsement recently, I'm over that age where you need a medical each year and a yearly driving accessment by comparative youngsters who often just got their trainers ticket from a driving school. I got my cataracts done to improve my chances of passing the medical eye te 3 years ago, don't need eye crutches, yet.... "Anyway its just the way it goes" ...happy truckin'

This is great, I love the POV footage, being able to see when you check the mirrors and stuff. I'll be back to watch the rest in the morning.

Thanks Johno great information and visual from looking from the inside of the cab😊

Thanks mate, haven't had much to do with chains. Was a great insight !

That's some long tunnels! Thanks for sharing. Watching from British Columbia.

I agree with you about the speedometers and tucks sitting on my back seat. On the open road I sit on, according to my speedometer, 110 kph, which is about 104 kph. So far, no red and blue lights in the mirrors. 🙂

Thank you for the insights. Very interesting views and explanation. GREAT sound 👍🐺🙂

hahaha that's my neck of the woods! Driving through Chermside! Can't believe I didn't see you Johno

Thanks for the content (and the noise) have a safe trip home and happy birthday Mate.

The sound of the air being sucked in is great! As you said! You love the sound!!!! Great video! Keep it up please!

Your a good operator johno , my rr skills are sad , happy birthday johno 🎂 apparently 🎉 🤪✌️👍

i love jake shifting in traffic, just get a couple pops as you split upto the next cog and the sound bounces off of everthing around you

I live in Cape Town South Africa and really enjoy your content Johno. Thanks for the tour around Brisbane. Looks great.

Born and raised in Brisbane, now in Bundaberg it's great to see Gympie Rd again. Personally, I hate tolls so I would turn right after Aspley and head off through W Stafford, Ashgrove and Bardon and this takes you through to the Centenary Hwy and on to Ipswich Rd. Probably a bit tedious driving a big rig through there. I was surprised how little traffic there was and how those tunnels teleport you to a new dimension. Very enjoyable video.

Gday Johnno. Can you do a video sometime while your in traffic showing which gears you go through, especially from the lights. Brisbane weather is fantastic. In winter I still wear t shirt and shirts during the day. The humidity only last about three months of the year, so you just put up with it. Most homes are air conditioned and our trucks and cars are, so it’s not to bad. But we also get a lot of rain this time of year and that with the heat, is why everything is so green. At the moment,the lawns grow so fast, the need mowing about every 4-5 days. A good idea when going through the 5unnels in Brisbane is to set your cruise control. There are Speed cameras all the way through them. Listening to the noise with the windows up, the tyre noise was louder than the engine noise. Next time you are in Bris, hit me up and I will take for a good pub feed. 👍

Great vid

Very informative drive through heavy traffic, and your truck appears to keep up with all the other cars , so u must have good knowledge of that gearbox, very smooth and seamless, great commentary along the way, there is so many elements to being a true professional truck driver, great stuff, cheers from Geelong,❤️🦘🦘🦘🇦🇺

It’s amazing no one road raged you for being in the right lane the whole time.

Happy Birthday to your son hope y'all have fun. some drivers like to drive with their windows down i don't like to much noise. Truck i drove had 12 in. Chrome stacks little over 125,000or more had the truck and 3 trailers that's what he owned. anyway thank you for taking us along with you on your journey.

I have the same electronic diary/ Camera system it's awesome

I found driving in the city with a 909 quite stressful went back earthmoving

Nice tour Johno you wouldn't want to be caught in one of those tunnels with a burning plastic EV, as for the Porche keep the Kenworth it would probably be cheaper in the long run. Your Kenworth is faster than the Porche because you overtook it a few times😂

Oh, no!!! You ended so abruptly. I assume there will be a Part Two? Thanks for showcasing my old city. It sure has changed a bit. I didn't know Brisbane drivers were civilised compared to other capitals. 😃

Dang mate ya got me all excited, I'm gonna havta start driving agin. ATS that is on me motion sim driving a KW200 down Mexico. Only driving I'm allowed to do. Thanks Buddy. Stay safe. The Ol' Fella Greg.

Absolutely spot on with your NSW atrocious roads comment!! 😳😳. WA definitely has the best roads in the country, if you want ridiculously priced Toll roads….come to Sydney!!! 😡😡

Drinking my morning cuppa, crisp minus 15°C outside, sun shining nice though. Watching Johnno drive through city and Brisbane tunnel! I enjoy the city driving with traffic as much as the outback routes and drone shots. The roads do look quite good for QLD in general. Comparing them to Bruce Hwy in FNQ and Cairns area. 😂

I love da engine noise 😊

I drive Gympie Rd regularly. The roadworks are a lot better than a year ago. They’re putting in a dedicated bus lane northbound.

I’m laughing at the experts asking why your hugging the right hand lane , well your passing most all other vehicles so why would you keep jinking in and out of lanes in a big truck , you keep doing what you do , keep safe 😊

Hats off to you brother. Not really heavy traffic tho. I’ll stick with my auto 😂

Great vlog boss although I don’t drive big trucks only a little van I too always prefer manual transmission over automatic and to hear that albeit USA powered engine with 620 rampaging horses and 3000 plus NM of torques is always great so thanxs for making this vlog for us to enjoy and along side the gear change vlogs plz keep making ones like this 😊😊😊 PS :- Happy Birthday to your son

Great video. It would be good if you filmed the climb up the hill into Toowoomba. Tunnels and engine brakes are made for each other. I was going through the tunnel under the Yarra River late one night when a Lamborghini went flying past on full noise. It sounded fantastic.

Gday Johnno! My name is Sean, and I'm a new viewer here from the States, and I really enjoyed this driving video, especially with the windows down - that exhaust on your truck sounds incredible! It is my ultimate dream to go for a nice long ride along in a road train, hopefully one with a real mean sounding Cummins! Now, I've got some questions on the truck. What year, make and model, engine and transmission? What exhaust are you running? To me it sounds like she's straight piped with an ISX EGR engine! Now, I'd like a special request done. Can you please do a super long ASMR style video with the best audio possible? I'd like for you to use the GoPro, as you did in this one. I'd love the following: engine start up at the beginning, tons of stops and starts, runs through the gears, cruising, jaking, and if possible, high RPM shifting, and engine shutdown at the end. Make sure to do it with windows down, so I can hear that exhaust sound! I'd like the ASMR to be well over 2 hours, for me, the longer the ASMR, the better! And no commentary, just the engine and exhaust sound from beginning to end. No intro/outro, just raw unedited ASMR action the entire way. And just in case, ASMR is a type of video that help people sleep, relax, study, meditate, etc. I've seen several other truck drivers who just let the camera roll and just drive, no commentary. Plus, I'm blind, so I'm even more fascinated by how amazing these Aussie Cummins engines sound, and I'd like the longest ASMR's possible on this truck so I can listen to them and fall asleep while imagining I'm on a road train adventure! Please let me know ASAP, and I hope you can do my request for me as soon as possible!!

Good one

Cannot believe he hogs the right lane. He will get a fine in the mail

Nice rig Johnny and you must have a lot of patience mate

Really interesting and enjoyable to watch ✌️🇬🇧

As far as toll roads go, they also demand that trucks use toll roads over free roads. Must use the Toowoomba bypass toll instead of the old Toowoomba range road. Must use the Logan Motorway rather than through the main roads across Brisbane. You’re on the Western Freeway once out of Legacy Way & then onto the Centenary Hway.

Hey mate great video. Is that a egr cummins up front?

Those roads look pretty narrow to me. Ofcourse you are used to it. Respect to all truckers out there.

Good wrll balanced driving in meduim traffic Gympie rd ,ps are you going nth or sth bound .

Man that kenworth sounds sick as.

at 25.30 you made it out of the tolls you just have about 5 more phone seat belt cameras and about 10 more speed cameras before Gatton to get through so if you get through without a fine you're quite fortunate.

DIVING

This is my daily drive to work.. i dont roll down my window to listen to shit porches anymore.. but roll down the window to hear this beast coming though.

Very nice of you to hog the right hand lane for ages, normally you do a very good job

Interesting watching all the other cars, but you seemed to be carrying good speed. Also average value of a Porsche Cayenne 150k..thx again Johnno

heya john. Loving these city driving vids as much as the cross country vids. Im just wondering if you have a facility to show the gear changes up and down as you are with your trip meter on your dash there? It would be most helpful to have a digital display indicating when your changing gears up and down...As much as we can hear the gear changes, It would be really handy to have a visual of the gear changes. Maybe its an editing thing to pop a gear change indicator in but Im sure you could have the changes on the dash like the speed indicator is... Again, a fantastic vid mate!

When the Constitution was being negotiated, there were few cars, so the federal interest in transport was confined to railways and shipping. The states are left with roads and they can do what they like within their borders. I don't recommend a legal challenge to tolls. Just pay up. WA has its minerals and a great GST share deal so they don't need to rely on Transurban to build their roads. You might be getting mixed up with section 92 which is about trade, not transport. Driving south from Brisbane on a Friday afternoon might change your views about automatics.

Hey Johnno what a great video, bit different to Townsville traffic lol. Between the lights on the flat with the one trailer do you drive it like a 13 speed?

Great show, good on ya Johnno!

Could not agree more . . the corruptness of the Toll Roads we now have to put up with is appalling !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever increasing pricing to suit these villains are even written in their contracts. Absolutely disgusting behaviour from our weak as piss politicians .

Does that mean the Cab-Over are safer for forward vision?

11:15 Porsche Macan. Not that expensive. Between $94K -$180K plus on road costs depending on the model you want. 🤣

Most drivers didn't take up your stopping distance , as for Auto, only ever drove 1 , 1974 it was , a damn BMC Auto for McCullochs Car Carrier out of Wagga Wagga , top of Razor Back it went into like angel gear , that was first trip, quickly learned had to change down manually

Hey there. how many full gears do you go down when going down a steep grade hill?

Base model Porsche Macan is approx $110k-$120k, higher Spec GTS $180-$200k...I agree they're nice.

the Car speedo is out as you said. reason is. An ADR rule from 2005. a speed must read at or below. 10% speed allowance. PLUS add in the allowance for a 50 mm increase in tire rotation diameter. so, the 50 mm allowable increase is the 8 k/h error. this is across the board with all cars. but outside of a 4x4 who would?

I do not miss running around Brisbane in the truck.

Heavy vehicles not required to stay left in qld? I thought it was a national requirement?

👍👍

Okay, I watched from start to finish; curious, who pays the tolls? Guess they go to the company registered number plate so it doesn't bother you? Thanks for saying that Brisbane drivers are great (Hint: don't watch Dash Cam channel videos) and thanks for sharing, stay safe out there.

now id like to ask you when talking on the cb it fades out fast why dos this happen thanks

G'day Johnno Posted yours and Kens channels around so you might've picked up a few more subscribers mate Have a good one ..👍

How do you go at traffic lights? If you start entering a junction, just as it changes to yellow, are you breaking the law if your last axle enters the junction on red?

Tolls, yeh I set GPS to avoid when travelling alone, especially in Sydney.

I don't have a problem with toll roads if it means better roads

So at 8:15 if I want to save fuel, get in front of a truck and put it in neutral LOL

Funny that flashing the p plater worked and they moved over, if you do that in Melbourne you get brake checked and they wanna road rage lol. Melbourne drivers are definitely the most arrogant and selfish in Australia.

I know what you mean about Sydney traffic

Porsche eh mate you know that a pair wiper blades will set you back a few hundred bucks for it

Are you a truck driver or a Constitutional Lawyer Johnno. Those roads and tunnels are built by private companies who in turn collect tolls on their investment. Simple economics my man. West Australia has no toll roads because they are blessed by minerals deposits in the form of iron ore royalties. People whinging about lack of services such as roads, health, education etc but don’t want to pay 💰 more tax to cover the cost

Like a manual yes. Drive one in a major capital city - nope.

The biggest problem with driving a Nine 0 in traffic is the car in front disappearing alright. Been there done that, got the photograph. Dude in the Subaru wasn’t happy either🫣🫣

No they don't look after their lawns it just hasn''t stopped raining.

Tolls are illegal under our Australian Constitution, all tolls are privately owned which is illegal as well, ( private corporations ) no road, bridge, tunnel or waterway by law are supposed to be privately owned and leased to the public. In our Constitution travel is “ supposed to be “ a matter of course “ free for all.

You must have your UHF turned down. No squeaky on there and no swearing!

Why do you hog the right hand lane? Stay to the left, it should be the law for trucks.

so I just flicked thru this video and all I saw was a truck predominately in the right hand lane ...... why is that ???

Some may agree some may disagree and quite frankly I honestly don't care if it's offensive to auto drivers my opinion only applies to ones that never bothered to lazy or to scared of road ranger....those ladies and gents are steering wheel attendants and to me don't deserve to be called an operator....thats just my thoughts. Just advice to auto drivers believe me you get rid of that condition you can pretty much pick and choose and ask for the better rate of pay....I have NEVER needed a C.V my licence says it all....I can ring or walk in have another job tomorrow.....

love the videos, don't know how you do it in city traffic with the truck, we have just done a lap of Oz on our motorcycle and really appreciate the truck drivers and how tough it can be on the road. Check out our prospective of the trucks/road trains at: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ey6UdJ_NnMs.html . Stay safe 👌

👍👍👍👍🚚🚚🚚🚚🚚👍👍👍👍

For a n an awesome Porsche $120000

👍

That is no traffic for Old Gympie Rd. Try 4pm on. Carpark. The road surface is good because that road is continually being re done. Every "improvement" adds more traffic lights. At peak times you can't even move from one set of lights to the next. The gap fills in from side roads. And you sit there for several light changes. Horrible bit of road. Spent many hours stuck on it trying to get home from work. Oh if only the constitution meant something. Sadly not worth the paper it is written on. Just think Covid years. And Australians don't have the same rights of appeal as the Yanks do. Joys of driving in Qld. Expensive rego. Extortionate traffic fines. Over zealous police. Program to install more fixed cameras every year. Emphasis on maximum revenue raising. Reduction in speed limits across the board. Highways full of potholes. Terrible road signage, confusing at best. You have to drive with one eye on the road the other on the speedo. And then they wonder why the accident rate keeps going up. Not down. Perpetual circle of doom. Wouldn't it be nice if road safety officials had half a brain. And politicians weren't institutionalised idiots. But that is not likely to happen. So more cameras. More grief. And more millions in the coffers. Drivers are a significant contributor to State funding these days.

🎉if you don't mind give the money to your son as a gift from my wife and I

Don't know how you do it

Get out of the right lane, wtf is a heavy rig in a built up area travelling in the right hand lane. What a very poor excuse of a driving video.

cant wait for australia to ban these trucks in the right lane, why cant these looser truck drivers drive to the left like in europe where the traffic flows much easier

When I was learning to drive trucks the teacher was very insisting on slowing down right away when the traffic lights shifted to red (or were red), because maybe the lights would shift to green before you reached the intersection. Saving fuel because you are rolling instead of starting from zero, less gear changes makes smoother driving, and also, of course, saving brakes because you don't have to brake that hard. It makes a big difference when you are pulling 50 tons or more. I always use this trick when I'm driving, even my own personal car. The trouble is often that others cut in front of you. Morons! 😉

What’s your trick to keep the big girl within the white lines? Thanks for the video mate

Stay in the right lane as you are passing all the slow cars