Australia's best trucking gig?

Ford Performance Racing has produced a neat little YouTube clip that showcases its two Western Star race transporters and their drivers

If piloting a V8 Supercars transporter the length and breadth of Australia sounds like the ultimate truck-driving job, then you'd be right – at least that's the impression you get from the two truckies charged with getting two Ford Performance Racing transporters to race meetings all over the country.

Dave Aldridge, driver of the FPR Bottle-O/Jeld Wen race transporter, and Will Chester, driver of the FPR Pespi Max Crew race transporter, star in a new YouTube clip produced by Ford Performance Racing. The clip gives a brief insight into their specialised jobs and their tools of trade – two Western Star 4800 FXBs.

Aldridge says he knows full well he's in a fortunate position.

"There are a lot of truck drivers who would love to do our job but there are only a small number of transporters in the paddock, so we are very privileged to be driving them," he says.

Chester, meanwhile, says that for him the role has revealed Australia's many different landscapes.

"I probably would never have driven up through the centre of Australia if I wasn't driving this transporter," he says.

"So far the scenery has been very different to what I expected – it's a lot greener and there are many more animals out there compared to the 'desert' I was expecting."

Aldridge, who along with Chester covers around 40,000 kilometres a year getting to all the Australian V8 Supercars rounds, says the Western Star 4800 FXB does a superb job.

"It's nice, it's real good – it's quiet, comfortable and it looks the part," he says.

Each of the transporters is powered by a 15-litre Detroit Diesel engine in a 560hp format, with the power feeding through an 18-speed gearbox and via a 4.3 diff ratio.

Chester says the trucks never fail to draw a crowd.

"It's very rare to stop anywhere and not have someone take your photo, whether it's tourists with caravans, families with kids or other truck drivers who just love the V8s," he says.

Check out the clip for yourself below…

Australia's best trucking gig?

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