A group of maverick truckers has captivated residents and tourists with their fast and daring drivingthrough the capital city.
The drivers, whose trucks typically are loaded with rocks or dirt, roar through Road Town at all hours of the day and night, competing to see who can clock the fastest time as they navigate around cars, speedbumps, pedestrians, wild chickens and other obstacles.
“The competition has grown fierce,” said a veteran trucker. “These days you’ve got young drivers who are not afraid of anything. I’m talking about guys who see a litter of kittens in the road and they accelerate. Their bravery is incredible.”
The newest record holder drove from the Peebles Hospital area to the Road Town roundabout in one minute and 23 seconds last week.
But his record isn’t expected to last.
“Ten years ago, that time would have been unheard of,” the veteran trucker said, adding that his own personal best on the same route is just shy of two minutes. “But now it seems like records are getting shattered every week.”
Tourist draw
The truckers didn’t plan for their friendly contest to become a spectator sport, but their ongoing competition has become a major attraction in a town that for decades struggled to draw visitors.
On Friday morning, thousands of people lined Waterfront Drive waiting for large trucks to roar by.
Whenever one did, cheers broke out.
“Whooee!” exclaimed a mother from Tennessee as her children leapt out of a vehicle’s path, laughing hysterically. “This is so much fun!”
The family had come to the Virgin Islands to sail, but after seeing the Road Town trucks they cancelled their charter.
“Now we just sit in the shade sipping fruit juice and waiting,” she said, adding that no natural beauty can compare to the manmade splendour of a speeding Mack truck.
A nearby couple said they read about the trucks on the website traveltalkonline and planned a special vacation for their honeymoon.
“I particularly enjoy the garbage truck because of its stench,” the man said. “My wife prefers the concrete truck just because it’s so heavy and dangerous.”
Though they are aware of the perils of speeding vehicles, he said, they are willing to take the risk of sitting right next to the road.
“You only live once, right?” he quipped.
Happy residents
Tortola residents are every bit as excited by the competition as tourists.
A Road Town woman said she particularly enjoys the loud grinding noises that occur when large trucks brake suddenly.
“I never have to set an alarm in the mornings,” she said. “The noise starts before it gets light, and I leap right out of bed every day, terrified that an earthquake has struck.”
Another resident said her favourite driver is the one who repeatedly honks to the rhythm of “shave and a haircut” as he drives through town at dawn.
“The kids love it,” she said, adding that both her son and her daughter want to be truckers when they grow up.
Modest
In spite of such adoration, the truckers remain modest.
“We’re not heroes: We’re just doing our job,” said a driver who asked to remain anonymous to keep from getting mobbed by adoring fans.
He cautioned young people not to get into trucking for the wrong reasons.
“If you’re in it for the glory, you might as well be a lawyer or a doctor,” he said. “You have to do it because you love it.”
Many truckers credit supervisors and company owners for their success.
“They encourage us to get where we’re going as fast as possible,” one explained. “This means we can’t brake every time we see an elderly person doddering across the road. We just have to keep on rolling and hope they get out of the way.”
It is this daring attitude that impresses many spectators.
At the roundabout on Friday, several children mobbed a trucker who was caught in traffic and asked for his autograph.
“Sure thing, kids!” he replied with a wink. “Now remember to stay out of trouble and stay safe.”
Then he floored it, narrowly missing a child’s toes as he roared away.
Disclaimer: Dateline: Paradise is a column and occasionally contains satirical “news” articles that are entirely fictional.
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