George Dow

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2004.

A sense of adventure, sound business sense and sheer hard work combined to make George Dow one of the founders of the transport industry in South Australia and an icon in his own lifetime.
Hi-Trans Express has grown considerably over the past 30 years from a small South Australian operation running kangaroo meat from the outback beyond Broken Hill into Adelaide and to a diverse operation that literally spans Australia. With its head office in Adelaide, depots in all capital cities and some major country towns, the company today employs more than 200 full-time staff and runs more than 200 company-owned units.

Born in Perth in 1924, George was one of the first drivers to regularly cross the Nullarbor Plain on the run from Perth to Adelaide. In those early days it was a long and arduous journey where one could literally travel all day before seeing another truck. Cars were few and far between too.In 1958 George decided to move to South Australia where he worked for the legendary TNT before establishing his own business pioneering the transportation of fresh produce to the Melbourne markets. He then co-founded S&D Transport before, in 1974, purchasing Hi-Speed Trading. George grew the business from a handful of trucks with small depots in Adelaide and Broken Hill to the multi-million dollar operation that Hi-Speed Trading, now Hi-Trans Express, is today.

A man of vision, George learned early on to recognise an opportunity where others did not and was not afraid to take a risk where others saw no future. He retired in 1998 leaving the management of his company to the next generation of Dows.