Dave Borchard
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2010.
Dave, being the youngest of 17 children, was destined to be a truckie as 8 of his 11 older brothers were involved in the transport industry. The local cop was glad to see him front up at 21 for his HC licence knowing full well he had been helping the family out driving for some time.
At 21 Dave started full time employment as a driver working for various companies doing interstate for 15 yrs. In 1997 he bought his first truck, a Transtar, and hooked onto trailers for Sneaths. He sold the Transtar to son Jason in 1999 and bought a Kenworth and formed a private company (D.J.BORCHARD PTY LTD). Dave travelled 4 states: NSW, QLD, VIC & SA and was known on the road as 'Snooze' and even '2Snooze' as he seemed to find the parking bays easily. He was still able to do the job and get where he had to be on time. Even with the highways not being as good as many are now.
In 2002 Dave entered a new chapter of his truckin' life; he bought his own new trailer which enabled him to sub-contract himself to other companies. In 2003 he bought his first brand new truck, a Sterling. The Sterling had a custom built bunk with a nice big bed and air con. So it was the first real comfort after 21 years of driving. If you ask Dave what he hates most on the road he will tell you 'Livin' out of a suitcase' and his claim to fame would be when he brags about never having had an insurance claim. The funniest thing that did happen was when he pulled into a parking bay under a shady tree for a nap and woke, turned the truck around not realising he was going the wrong way until arriving at the next town. The saddest thing was losing a best mate in a truck accident.
The Sterling was in need of a rebuild in 1998 and was traded for a new Eagle (not as good in the bedroom department) and is going ok. He still sees himself owning a couple more trucks before retirement.
After 28 years he is still doing interstate between Sydney and Melbourne and occasionally Adelaide. He doesn't know what is after truckin' life but he does have a passion for old tractors and farming.