Day in the life of Brian
The Road Ahead spent a day with long-term RACQ Patrol Officer Brian Blackwell to learn about him and his work.
With an impressive tenure of 32 years as an RACQ Patrol Officer, Brian Blackwell goes to work every day knowing he will help Queenslanders in need.
Throughout his career, Brian estimates he has been called to more than 130,000 jobs for roadside assistance, ranging from flat tyres and battery-related issues to more complex mechanical problems.
But no matter the call, his favourite part of the job is meeting people and helping them in their time of need.
“There isn’t just one memorable moment that comes to mind, I log about 15 jobs every day, so there are hundreds of moments,” Brian said.
“Every breakdown is memorable for the person you’re helping.
“I’ve been called to premiers, prime ministers, people on their way to job interviews, even bridal parties on their way to the wedding.
“One of the more interesting jobs was when I found a snake wrapped around the driveshaft; it was just looking for a warm place to rest.”
By lunchtime on the ride-along, we had completed nine different jobs.
The first was a flat tyre in South Brisbane for a woman on her way to work.
“I called my brother first and he said, ‘I can’t come all the way into the city’, so I’m really glad I have Roadside Assistance,” she said.
The next job was a flat battery due to an internal light being left on and while we were there, Brian fixed up a loose fan belt that likely impacted the battery recovery time.
After more than 50 years of being a mechanic, Brian is an expert at his craft and can even tell a car’s country of origin by looking at the headlights.
When we asked Brian what has changed the most over the past 50 years working on cars, his answer was easy – technology.
“The presence of EV and hybrid cars, engine management systems, fuel injection, electronic ignition, and back in my day we used a Refidex for maps,” Brian said.
“At RACQ, we undergo training three times a year to keep up with the latest technology and mechanics in vehicles.”
In his spare time, Brian takes a well-earned break from motor vehicles to go mountain trekking across the world.
He has trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp 14 times and has also reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.
“It was actually a member who encouraged me to climb Mount Kilimanjaro,” he said.
“On a job, the member asked me what was left on my bucket list and after that conversation, I booked the trip.
“If you’ve got something on your bucket list, it will stay there unless you do something about it.
“That’s what I like about this job; you never know what the next call is going to be or who you’ll meet.”
Learn more about RACQ Roadside Assistance at racq.com/roadside
RACQ Roadside Assistance statistics for FY23
755,086 - Total number of roadside assistance events.
87 - Average number of job responses per hour.
3 - Top reasons for callouts – battery-related issues, flat tyres and vehicle lockouts.
2,057 - Towed caravans or trailers.
950 - Emergency responses for children locked in cars.
862 - Callouts for animals locked in cars.
Related topics
-
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.
Insurance products (excluding Travel Insurance) are issued by RACQ Insurance Limited ABN 50 009 704 152 (RACQ). Conditions, limits and exclusions apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and any applicable Supplementary PDS before making a purchase decision on this product. You can also access our Target Market Determinations on this website.
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending policies apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Financial Services Guide and the Terms and Conditions, and consider if appropriate for you before deciding.
Except for RACQ Bank, any RACQ entity referred to on this page is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). That entity’s obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of RACQ Bank. RACQ Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity, unless noted otherwise.
RACQ Operations Pty Ltd (ABN 80 009 663 414 AR 000234978) and Members Travel Group Pty Ltd (ABN 45 144 538 803 AR 000432492) are acting as an Authorised Representative of the issuer of the insurance, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548). Any advice set out above is general in nature only, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before purchasing any travel products, please consider the RACQ Travel Insurance Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and the Target Market Determinations (TMDs) that apply to these products. Whilst the PDS outlines the Terms and Conditions of these products, the TMDs outline the intended class of customers that comprise the target market for these travel products. This will allow you to consider which products best suit your objectives, financial situation and needs and consider the products appropriateness to your personal circumstances. TMDs also outline matters involving the distribution and the review of these products. The PDS, Supplementary PDS and TMDs for each travel product can be found here.