Bernie Owens
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2014.
Bernie Owens is known as 'Bernie Big Wheels' on the highways of Australia where he has been in the trucking industry since 1970. While growing up both his father and his uncle were truck drivers and Bernie harboured an ambition to be one also. As a youngster Bernie would from time to time go to work with his Uncle Gerry who drove for the Crane Bros. in Richmond. He would also take whatever opportunity he could to go truck driving with his father. Today Bernie has been in the industry for over 44 years.
The first truck Bernie drove was an old Commer with a Perkin's motor hauling for Perfect Cheese carting milk from Lilydale to Gippsland when he was 20 years old. He went on to purchase his first truck, a R190 International with a 160 Cummins. He worked a sub-contractor carting grain and general freight Australia wide for Lanes Haulage. In the years following Bernie worked for many others including Taylor Dalton's in a Fiat, Kenny Anderson driving a Kenworth and East Coast driving a Mercedes Benz and White 9000 carting paper. He has also carted freezer freight for Cold Storage and Howards Freezer Freight in Geelong.
Bernie had a break from the road when he became foreman at Sartori's Transport and then operations manager at FCN - AR Neals Transport. In 1978 Bernie took up work with the Lindsay Brothers driving an ERF and then a cab over Mack on and off. He returned with his Kenworth after working as a representative for Recar and left there to sub-contract for Densleys. Bernie then went back to Lindsay Bros where he has remained ever since. In 1998 Bernie and wife Linda formed B & L Owens Pty Ltd which now consists of six Kenworths, three K200's, two 104's, a 108 and a Western Star subcontracting to Lindsay Brothers Transport and to Scott's Refrigerated Freightways. Bernie still does the occasional trip.
All in all, Bernie has made a lot of good friends over the years and has been a good mate back to them. He has seen a lot of sad things but has had many good times. He wouldn't change his time on the road for anything. He has no plans to stop any time soon.
