Richard (Rick) Jones
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2009.
At 12 Richard "Rick" Jones asked Col Kramer & Sons for a pocket money job. They put him to work on the weekends, in a Chev Blitz, pulling logs down mountains with a stiff jib and wire rope.
Rick started his driving career on the road in 1959 for Sydney Wollongong Transport in an S160 International carrying immigrant workers on the Snowy River Hydro Electric Scheme.
His first interstate trip was for Lanes Transport Unanderra in 1961 in a 190 Inter. He next drove for Jones Bros at Guildford in a Diamong T before a short stint with Ed Cameron at the Lidcombe depot in an S-model Kenworth next moving on to Mayne Nickless at St Peters doing linehaul in a B61 Thermodyne to Tarcutta and back. He then went to Express Freight doing 2-up interstate in cab-over Kenworths powered by 871 GMs and 250 Cummins. He did a stint as yard boss while he was with them. He moved onto Ipec driving MANs all over the country in the days when drivers had to wear a tie with their uniform. After Ipec he became an owner-driver for the first time. He bought a Slimline 650 MAN with a pogo-stick gearbox subbying for Cubico.
Freight was all hand-loaded at Cubico in those days with drop-deck trailers and very high gates and tarps. He sold his truck and went to drive for Allen Con in a 14304 MAN carting dongas to Darwin after Cyclone Tracy. He then moved on to the gas pipeling carrying 90' long pipes from Cobar to Innamincka, later Mingary to Tibooburra then Leigh Creek to Moomba. Rick did a short stint sitting in the chair running Boles Transport before moving to Adelaide and becoming an owner-driver again, buying an old 1418 cab-over subbying for Brambles. His next update was to a White Road Commander and later a 1987 S-Line Inter and a Cruiseliner Mack which his son, Shane, had a share in and drove.
He sold his trucks in 1995 and began driving for NTFS. He then went to Bunkers until his retirement in 2009. At 70 he is still keen to jump behind the wheel. He has had a very long career in the transport industry and would not mind doing another trip.
