Ian Tacon

IAN TACON (Taco or The Doctor) was born in 1951 in Waratah, NSW. He started his career in transport at 14 at Sticpewich Transport as a gopher (bowser boy / yard hand). He later moved onto off-siding on the low loaders. At 17, Ian went onto manage the Heavy Haulage Division. At just 15 years of age, Ian was sent to work at Groote Eylandt where he worked for 14 months. He was tasked with driving an AEC Mandator which towed a pole jinker to cart long concrete piles and concrete stress beams for the building of the new wharf. Ian recalls the time he went and saw the local policeman about a licence to drive the truck. Ian had already been working on Groote Eylandt for two weeks driving the AEC. The policeman told him that he had seen him driving so he wrote out a Northern Territory roadtrain licence.

Memorable moments include the set up and testing of B-Double trailers and working out what trucks could tow them, being part of the transport of the Telescope pieces to Coonabarabran, including carting 14' wide telescopes and transporting two stacker reclaimers, 22-feet-wide, from Goninans to BHP in Newcastle. Ian has carted all types of freight, locally in Newcastle and the Hunter as well as interstate.

Ian and his wife Robyn started their own business in 1974, and 44 years on, Ian Tacon Haulage is still running as a family business, with their two children, son Gavin who started driving for them in 1996 and their daughter Stacey, who started driving for them in 2002.

Ian and Robyn have owned many trucks over the years including an International ACCO petrol V8, 8-wheeler tipper, a Dodge Fuso, 3070 International ACCO, Ford Louisville, International S-Line which earned Ian an extra addition to his nickname Doctor Taco in the Long Nose ACCO. They currently have four Freightliners, one Peterbilt and still own the 1981 International S-Line.

Ian still lives and breathes trucks and is out driving every day. He has travelled over 7 million miles across this great country clocking over three million in his 1981 International S-Line alone.  Ian is well regarded along the highways and is the first to give anyone in need a hand. He loves a yarn and has many stories to share.