The long drive was another meaningful chapter in a long connection with Australia\u2019s heavy vehicle industry. Image: HVIA<\/p>\n
Crossing the Nullarbor in a brand-new Sitrak truck carrying Australia\u2019s first 3D skin check mobile clinic is not your average delivery run.<\/p>\n
For Bob Martin, it was a privilege \u2013\u00a0and another meaningful chapter in a long connection with Australia\u2019s heavy vehicle industry.<\/p>\n
Now retired, Bob was the first President of Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia and the last President of its predecessor, the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association of Queensland. So when he was entrusted with taking the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation\u2019s newest truck on its maiden run across the Nullarbor, it was a fitting role for someone who has spent so much of his life around the people, vehicles and businesses that keep Australia moving.<\/p>\n
Behind the wheel, Bob helped take a major piece of health technology across one of the most iconic stretches of road in the country \u2013\u00a0a fitting first journey for a vehicle built to bring skin checks closer to the people and places that need them.<\/p>\n
The truck carries a body imaging machine of the kind normally found in major skin clinics in bigger cities and towns. But this one is mobile.<\/p>\n
As Bob put it, it is \u201cthe first mobile 3D skin clinic to be running around the countryside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an absolute honour to be given the privilege to drive this truck on its maiden voyage across the Nullarbor,\u201d he said, thanking Jay Allen and the Foundation for \u201cbestowing that trust\u201d in him.<\/p>\n
For Truck Week 2026, the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation has joined as a partner in the\u00a0Personal Preventative Maintenance\u00a0campaign \u2013\u00a0Your Essential 5-Point Maintenance Check<\/a>.<\/p>\n The campaign uses language the industry understands. You don\u2019t wait for a failure, ignore a warning sign or leave a problem too long. Preventative maintenance works best when it happens early \u2013\u00a0and that applies to people just as much as it applies to trucks.<\/p>\n One of the five checks is\u00a0Bodywork\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a reminder that visible signs can tell us a lot.<\/p>\n We pay attention to the outside of a vehicle because marks, damage or changes can point to something that needs a closer look. The same idea applies to your body.<\/p>\n For many people across transport, freight, warehousing, workshops, manufacturing and logistics, long hours in the sun are part of the job. Over time, that exposure adds up \u2013\u00a0and skin cancer does not discriminate.<\/p>\n Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, but when it is found early, it is highly treatable. Most skin cancers are visible, which means a simple check can save your life.<\/p>\n The message is straightforward: if something has changed, appeared recently or just does not look right, don\u2019t ignore it. Book a check, speak to your GP or health professional, or learn more through the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation.<\/p>\n That is the practical spirit behind the Foundation\u2019s mobile clinics, which are designed to bring skin checks directly to communities, workplaces and events across the country.<\/p>\n Founded by Jay Allen OAM in 2021, the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation was created to raise awareness, support patients, fund research and advocate for better access to skin cancer checks.<\/p>\n Jay\u2019s own story is central to the Foundation\u2019s work. A melanoma survivor and later a throat cancer survivor, he has turned personal experience into a national mission built around early detection, education and support.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Australian Skin Cancer Foundation is about saving lives through awareness, early detection and access,\u201d Jay said.<\/p>\n \u201cToo many Australians still leave skin checks too late. By taking clinics to communities and workplaces, we can make that first step easier \u2013\u00a0and that can make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n The Foundation\u2019s skin check trucks bring that mission to life in a very practical way. They are built for distance, access and visibility \u2013\u00a0taking specialist equipment beyond the places where it is usually available.<\/p>\n