Jodie Black
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2023.
Jodie Black (nee Goulthorpe) was born in 1973 in Orange, New South Wales. Jodie was born into trucks, going on trips with her dad and later her brother, helping load livestock and getting her hands dirty whenever needed.
Jodie married and had 4 children. She started a few small businesses but trucking was her passion. In between running businesses and being a mum, she would always help her brother out whenever she could. After divorcing and later remarrying Jodie went on to buy her own brand-new Western Star truck with a C15 18 speed road ranger. 2006 was the beginning of new adventures for Jodie.
Jodie started with RTG transport running three Sydney’s a week with the help of a driver and her husband but Jodie was determined to do things herself. On a Sydney run she blew an inner drive tyre, whenever someone pulled in she would turn off the torch and wait until they left determined to change it herself. After four hours Jodie was proudly and independently back on the road.
Jodie and her family relocated to Bacchus Marsh, Victoria and continued running Melbourne to Adelaide and Nhill changeovers for Harris Refrigerated Transport. Jodie divorced and continued doing change overs, often having to take her kids with her as she did not have help with the children. And as Jodie would say, “If the wheels are not turning, the truck is not earning.”
Jodie sold her truck and went on driving a 401 Kenworth and a Western Star for Harris. She continued until she moved back to Adelaide where she was driving a K104 Kenworth for Bunkers running Melbourne. Jodie then went on to Railroad Transport. She helped a mate out and did a couple two up runs to Tom Price and Perth and a few trips to Melbourne carting grain and chook feed.
Jodie wanted to spend time with her family, so she started a cleaning business but the love of trucks kept calling so after six months she went back driving. Jodie worked on a farm at Tarlee, South Australia, driving tractors and an SAR Kenworth carting hay. Jodie then went onto work for Auscold Logistics, a major South Australian transport and warehousing company running Melbourne before working for Linfox doing local runs.
