Allan Compton

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

Allan Compton first became involved in the truck industry in the late 1950s when, as a young kid, he'd listen to the big rigs roll by and yearn to become a truck driver.

Family friend and neighbour, Bob Blacker knew Allan was looking for work and offered him a job carting potatoes from the Portland area to the old South Melbourne markets and backloading with fertilizer. Allan was 20 years of age and without a licence but he jumped at the chance and took the job. The truck he was given was a TS3 Commer Knocker. It was a seasonal job that lasted for about two to three months so there was no time to stop.

He was later upgraded to an International AB and says he will never, ever forget being told on his first trip from Sydney to Melbourne that he would have to drive up the notorious Razorback Mountain in NSW with the truck in reverse! Allan was both excited about his new truck and apprehensive of all the stories he'd been told about Razorback and had asked other drivers about Razorback. They had jokingly informed him that as he was driving an underpowered truck he would not make it going forward. He believed them.

To Allan it was all good on the road in his early days of trucking.

Everybody had fun and helped each other.

There were many funny things that happened along the highways and byways of Allan's trucking career. He recalls what happened when he was working for Bob Barton on stock crates. While jacking up a wheel, a cow shit on him from a great height all over his head, Allan was covered from head to foot and of course there were no roadside stops with showers. He had to wait to find a waterhole to jump in, clean up and wash his clothes. Fortunately Allan always carried a clean change with him.

Interstate driving is all Allan has ever done. In 2012 he is currently driving for Karingal Haulage hauling Casterton, Mt Gambier, Sydney, Brisbane and return. Allan is intending to retire in August 2012 and well deserves his place on the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in Alice Springs.