William Fredereiksen
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2012.
William (Garth) Frederiksen has been part of the transport industry his whole life. He got his start as a boy helping his father with a local cream run.
Garth has owned and operated Frederiksen's Transport in Pomona and now in Gympie, Queensland, since the 1950s. The business grew to a considerable size with tippers, bulk cement cartage, molasses tankers, refrigerated vans and general freight going interstate.
His memories are of hand loading produce onto flat tops in far north Queensland and hand stacking bagged cement. He often talks about how easy it is now to just shut the doors. Garth also recalls loading incredible weights onto trucks, trying to dodge the scales and receiving refused to weigh and overloading fines. With over 20 trucks, mostly black or red with white roofs, he says his company vehicles were easy targets for transport officers in Queensland.
Kenworths, Western Stars, Volvos, Macks and Internationals have, at some time, been owned by Garth but it is the White Road Boss that he considers to be the best for reliability and value for money. He also has a preference for Haulmark trailers and has purchased these since the beginning. Cummins is his favourite choice of engine and associated systems. Both his two International Transtars were fitted with Cummins 903 V8s in the early 70s. Over the years Garth has moved everything from cattle to timber and bulk cement.
Today Garth has one truck that he drives towing a fridge van from north Queensland to just about anywhere. His passion for the transport industry has been passed on from generation to generation. His son and grandsons run a small family transport company and get plenty of guidance from Garth. He is the head of a humble trucking dynasty.
For Garth the best thing about his industry is that it is not a nine to five job, but a lifestyle where every day is a holiday. He is an inspirational man with an amazing history which brings a smile to the face of everyone who has the pleasure of hearing his stories.
