James Menz
JAMES RODNEY MENZ, also known as 'Rooster' or 'Jim' was born in April 1955 in Broken Hill where he drove trucks for 35 years between 1972 and 2008 Unfortunately a workplace injury resulted in him being declared medically unfit to continue his love of driving.
During his 35 years in the industry James drove mainly for two Companies; BM Menz which was a family owned company and later for Border Express. James first started driving trucks in 1972 with his father, driving return from Brisbane to Darwin. On these routes James pulled flat top singles and road trains along dirt roads and single lane bitumen. He carried a variety of items including APM paper, bulk grains, dangerous goods and general Freight. The trucks he drove during this period changed from year to year, but included a Ford Louisville LNT 9000, an International Acco 3070, a Kenworth 125, a Kenworth W Model, a Scania 112 and an international S line 2670.
After leaving the family business due to financial difficulties, James started driving trucks for Border Express. Based out of Albury, he drove to Melbourne and Sydney return, carrying pulp, automotive components and finished news prints. During his time at Border Express James again drove a variety of trucks including the Ford 9000, F16 Volvo, FH420 Volvo, Sterling HX9500, Sterling LT 9500, Freightliner FL112 and a Kenworth 104. James pulled singles and B-Double flat tops and tautliners, along dual carriage ways and occasionally found himself having to drive through the cities which was initially a bit daunting for a country boy. During his time on the road James became well known as a 'Bush Mechanic' as he had no choice but to learn how to fix any mechanical issues he faced. There was no such thing as roadside assistance at the time.
In 2008 James was driving an empty Kenworth 104 with B-Double Tautliner, along the Interchange of the West Gate freeway and The Ring Road, when he was blown over by a strong gale. The back trailer was hanging over the rail at approximately 75 degrees and if wasn't for the bridge rail, he would have gone completely over.