Erik Johnson

Erik Johnson was born in Crookwell on the 30th December 1948. His family moved to Marulan where his father took on the Mobil Service Station when Erik was two years old.

This started Erik's passion for trucks, drawing and knowing every make and model at such an early age. When he was 15 years old he and his family moved to Sydney, he trained there as a diesel mechanic with the Shell Company.

In 1974 he visited Wagga and never left there. He met his wife Terri and worked for Fatty Taylor the Comet agent. In 1976 Erik started driving for Tim Passmore carrying cars and caravans. A ticket was booked for the United States of America when Tim offered to sell Erik the 1970 International DC 1640 Perkins Diesel truck he was driving. Erik jumped at the chance and cashed his ticket as a deposit. Terri's $800 life savings buying a cub car trailer was the start of Erik Johnson Car Transport Company. It was from this point that Erik became the little engine that could do anything, nothing too big or too small or hard, doing anything and everything. Driving all week, repairs all weekend, from major rebuilds on the side of the road, broken windscreens in the winter seasons and constant welding on trucks and trailers, these years were the hard slog and Erik loved it all.

With the business growing and a small nest egg, Erik designed his versatile eight car trailer to carry a combo of cars and commercial vehicles, commissioning Bowmaster trailers to build it. A 1981 T Line Cummins diesel was ordered, a race between the arrival of his son and the new rig, (later called Big Mary, by Erik's three year old daughter) their tank was full.

The next 14 years the fleet grew, with a 1985 Volvo F7 for eight cars, 1985 SBR 422 Isuzu for four cars, 1983 Ford Louisville VT 903 Cummins for eight cars, 1986 CK40 UD for seven cars, two sub-contractors, Peter Creek and Russel Thompson both seven cars each. Erik has worked for Autocare, Arnolds, Shields, Finemores, local dealers and insurance companies.

The Erik Johnson Car Transport was sold in 1994 and it is still operating after 39 years as Riverina Car Carriers. In 2000 Erik missed the road and purchased a 1986 Ford LTL 400 HP Caterpillar carrying clay supplies to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and he sold this in 2003. Erik now enjoys semi retirement and builds old cars and is still playing with trucks.