Mick Best

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2012.

In 1964 a young Mick Best joined the transport industry through a job washing trucks. Little could he have realised at the time it was the beginning of a long and diversified career in the trucking industry. For 25 years Mick drove full time, mainly in tankers and hauling for some of Australia's most iconic transport companies including Fox, Knights, Esso and Cootes. Mick drove petrol, gas and bitumen tankers on runs all around the wider eastern seaboard region including Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane. He also hauled well into the inland and regional country areas: Gippsland, Shepparton, Albury, Mt Gambier and Lorne among them. During these years, Mick's professionalism to the job and dedication to the industry made him a highly regarded and well liked operator along the highways.

In the late 1980s Mick Best became manager for Paul Cootes and Co in Seaford where he managed the fleet and looked after the drivers. He later returned to Linfox as a driver trainer and later became the linehaul manager. This job took Mick to New Zealand for three years to manage the Linfox fleet there.

On his return to Australia Mick stayed with Linfox where he is currently responsible for looking after the fleet and special projects on a full time basis. Being a true man of the road Mick often gets behind the wheel to deliver new roadtrains to Western Australia or to take trucks to various charity events.

After the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria Mick's extensive experience in transport logistics saw him appointed as co-ordinator of all the transport and warehousing activities for the relief effort. He personally donated a lot of his own time to take containers of essential supplies to those affected by the tragedy. During this time Mick made a lot of friends and whenever he gets the chance he likes to visit them. Mick's efforts were repeated for the tragedy of the Queensland floods.

Not surprisingly Mick has won many awards over the years including Driver of the Year for Esso in 1988 and the Victorian Transport Associations Operation Manager Award 1998 and Personality of the Year Award in 2005.

After nearly fifty years in the industry Mick Best still enjoys the challenge and looks forward to dealing with the daily issues that always arise.