Brian Bracknell

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2000.

West Australian trucking pioneer Brian Bracknell is indicative of the spirit and commitment that small operators give to improve the standards of their industry and service to their customers.  He lives in Dumbleyung, a small wheatbelt town 275kms south-east of Perth.

Brian hauled the first load of cattle from Kimbolton Station to Perth, a distance of 2600kms and from that day on he dedicated himself to the road transport industry and in particular to the livestock transport sector of the industry.

In 1964 he carried Sir Donald Campbell's record breaking speedboat, the Bluebird, from Lake Dumbleyung to Kalgoorlie.  Campbell's remarkable speed of 444.66 kph made him the fastest man on both land and water in the world.

In 1993, the quiet achiever from Dumbleyung used his roadtrain on another historic run between Bedfordale (WA) and the nearby superphosphate works with a fifty ton payload.  Under supervision of the Main Roads Department Brian's rig was the first roadtrain to legally travel that route clearing the way for increased productivity.  The Livestock Transporters Associaltion WA had applied to the Main Roads Department to operate roadtrains from the southern Albany Highway direct to the CSBP works by-passing the Bedfordale roadtrain terminal and until Brian's trial trip was not convinced it was either safe or practical.

In 1987 Brian, known as one of this industry's true gentlemen, was awarded a Life Membership of the Livestock Transporters Association in honour of his long and significant contribution to the organization including being its inaugural president.

In 1999 Brian won the BP Professional Driver of the Year Award for his impeccable driving career.  Brian has now retired but still works hard for the industry with a focus on young drivers and industry road safety issues.