Outback Truckers


Outback Truckers is an Australian factual television series which looks at the Australian road-transport industry. It focuses on selected drivers and interesting personalities and shows the problems tackled by some sectors. The show is filmed mostly across Australia, but also takes detour in New Zealand and Weno, Micronesia. It originally screened on the Seven Network in 2012 and currently airs on 7mate. It has aired around the world on networks such as Quest TV and Discovery Europe. Season 8 is airing in Australia in May 2020.

Cast

In July 2017 one of the cast members, Sonya Wise, died. Sonya and her husband, Greg, featured in season 3 of Outback Truckers. Outback Truckers Noelene Turner died in 2014. She left behind her outback trucking husband Bluesy. In 2015, season 1 trucker Dougal Brett was killed when the helicopter he was piloting, crashed on his cattle station.
In season 5, one of Mackay & Sons' non-trucking worker was pinned under a house during a removal operation in suburban Brisbane. He was sent to hospital with minor lacerations and breathing difficulties. He recovered a month later, but was not featured in the work shown in the shows in season 5. He returned in season 6.
Jeff Elliot from Season 5 was one of the founding members of the British and European Custom Truck Scene, and won many awards at major shows in the 1980s for his custom fabrication and airbrush skills. Later in the 1980s he concentrated on international truck driving and did many long trips, with destinations as far and wide as Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and even did regular trips to the Chinese border at Corgos. In the late 1990s he moved to Australia and operated a very successful air brush business, but has now returned to full-time truck driving. On his debut in season 5, he was a fresh seafood freighter.

Relation to other series

In season 5, government has released land to Coober Pedy for the mining of opals in 2017, and Mark Cromwell was seen sending mining machinery to the mines. In 2018, it spawn the spinoff series: Outback Opal Hunters.

Reception

Outback Truckers was favourably reviewed by the press. Melinda Houston from The Sydney Morning Herald's 'Critics Choice' noted that "they're great stories well told from a part of the country and a way of life most of us will never otherwise experience". It was also praised in The West Australian for its various close ties with Western Australia. News Limited's 'Switch On' gave it a 4/5 rating, one of the week's highest scores.

Viewers

Season 1 (2014)

International broadcasting

The following table lists the countries in which Outback Truckers airs outside Australia.
CountryNetwork/station
7mate
Quest
TVNZ 1, TVNZ On Demand
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
DMAX
DMAX
DMAX
RMC Découverte
Netflix

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2012)

Season 2 (2014)

Season 3 (2015)

Season 4 (2016)

Season 5 (2017)

Season 6 (2018)

Season 7 (2019)

Season 8 (2020)