It took several TWU applications to the Owner Drivers Tribunal to get Maddington firm Mines Express to pay a desperate owner-driver money owed.

Jim Ghilotti told TWU officials that the firm's failure to pay him for several completed trips to Boddington in the South West and Cloncurry in Queensland had left his family in dire straits.

Jim, his wife, Lisa, have three children including Leticia (pictured)

The road-train driver explained that Mines Express owner Mr Michael Quadrio had constantly reneged on promises made to him. Before the Cloncurry trip, Quadrio had promised Jim he would pay for all fuel by credit card over the phone whenever the truck needed to be refuelled.

However, this never happened because Quadrio could not be contacted whenever payment was required.

Jim was forced to pay for the fuel out of his own bank account, leaving him with little cash to survive.
Then things got even worse when Jim was forced to take evasive action to avoid hitting a vehicle on the highway between Elliot and Darwin.

The car - loaded up with drunken deadbeats - had come flying out of a bush track and cut the truck off.
Jim had to hit the brakes hard to miss the vehicle but jack-knifed the road-train in the process.

No one was hurt, but the A-frame of the dolly was twisted in the incident. To get the full rig back to Perth it would have to be repaired at a cost of $1,812.

Again, Quadrio couldn't be located to pay for the repair bill.

This time Jim had to resort to calling his father in Perth who agreed to put the $1,812 on his credit card.

By the time the truckie rolled back home his own bank account had been exhausted - together with his trust of Mick Quadrio.

Getting paid for the Cloncurry trip plus money still owed for three Boddington trips was now absolutely URGENT.

But the extreme financial stress he was suffering soon turned to red-hot rage when Mick Quadrio broke several promises to put the money owed into Jim's bank account.

By the time the veteran truckie walked in the door at the TWU offices he was ropable and ready to do some serious damage.

We encouraged Jim to go down the responsible route and take his case to the Owner Drivers Tribunal.

We have had a fair bit of success at the Tribunal since its formation last year and were confident of helping Jim.

An URGENT stamp was put on our application to the Tribunal and we managed to get a hearing the following week.

Mick Quadrio attended the hearing and promised the Commisioner he would pay Jim $24, 500 without delay.

Although Jim believed he was owed several thousand dollars more, he desperately needed the cash and accepted the settlement offer.

But that wasn't the end of the matter because Mick Quadrio reneged again, failing to pay by the agreed date.

Despite several calls from the TWU and firm assurances from Quadrio that the money would be immediately transferred into Jim's Bank account - it wasn't.

It took another application to the Tribunal before Quadrio finally coughed up the cash.

The TWU has published details of Jim Ghilotti's dilemma to alert other owner drivers to be careful about who they deal with.

If you are an owner-driver you can't afford NOT to be a financial TWU member like Jim Ghilotti.