James passed away 28th March 2018. RIP
James Souvlis, also known as Chucka, married his wife Debra. Born and growing up in Brisbane he was a talented young NRL footballer playing for Valley Diehards and equally good at cricket, and while being potentially an up-and-coming sporting star his first love was trucks and his expertise at driving them was extraordinary. After getting his licence at 17, he was keen to progress to the bigger vehicles as soon as possible.
He started his driving career with J Cowans carting sugar for the cane farms. The trucks were simply not big enough, so he soon moved to full-length semi-trailers loading potatoes with Redland Bay Transport carting to the Brisbane markets at night. He also worked with W & M Transport in Wynnum for a while. Keen to get more experience and get his long-distance driving life underway, he started with Underbond Transport in 1990. After a successful couple of years with Underbond he moved to K.S Easters. His professionalism and skill enabled him to work for virtually any company he chose. With stints of employment with Roadways,
Lindsay Brothers, Geoff Richards Transport, Clynt Leeson, and JAT Transport it was always about the trucks and the type of vehicles he was driving.
There were a couple of near misses with accidents. He was meant to take his daughter with him on one trip to Townsville. Should she have gone with him she would not be alive today. Another near-death experience was when the front axle snapped on the steer wheels and the prime mover ended up in the table drain with the trailer on top of it.
It seemed as if he could drive anything with wheels. The exception being a drott that he borrowed to clear some trees on his property, which got away from him and he mowed down more than he wanted to. Wherever he went, people would say hello to him by name and he’d have a polite chat. When asked who he was talking to he’d say, “I don’t know”.
While James loved driving, he began to get tired of being away from home and his family. He decided it was time to buy his own truck/bobcat and was digging pools and laying bitumen driveways and landscaping. His business venture was very successful but it was always about the trucks. His final employment was working for McKenzie Haulage carting green waste around southeast QLD.
Jimmy was in the trucking industry for 41 years. Jimmy sadly passed away at home from a heart attack on James Souvlis, also known as Chucka, married his wife Debra. Born and growing up in Brisbane he was a talented young NRL footballer playing for Valley Diehards and equally good at cricket, and while being potentially an up-and-coming sporting star his first love was trucks and his expertise at driving them was extraordinary. After getting his licence at 17, he was keen to progress to the bigger vehicles as soon as possible.
He started his driving career with J Cowans carting sugar for the cane farms. The trucks were simply not big enough, so he soon moved to full-length semi-trailers loading potatoes with Redland Bay Transport carting to the Brisbane markets at night. He also worked with W & M Transport in Wynnum for a while. Keen to get more experience and get his long-distance driving life underway, he started with Underbond Transport in 1990. After a successful couple of years with Underbond he moved to K.S Easters. His professionalism and skill enabled him to work for virtually any company he chose. With stints of employment with Roadways, Lindsay Brothers, Geoff Richards Transport, Clynt Leeson, and JAT Transport it was always about the trucks and the type of vehicles he was driving.
There were a couple of near misses with accidents. He was meant to take his daughter with him on one trip to Townsville. Should she have gone with him she would not be alive today. Another near-death experience was when the front axle snapped on the steer wheels and the prime mover ended up in the table drain with the trailer on top of it.
It seemed as if he could drive anything with wheels. The exception being a drott that he borrowed to clear some trees on his property, which got away from him and he mowed down more than he wanted to. Wherever he went, people would say hello to him by name and he’d have a polite chat. When asked who he was talking to he’d say, “I don’t know”.
While James loved driving, he began to get tired of being away from home and his family. He decided it was time to buy his own truck/bobcat and was digging pools and laying bitumen driveways and landscaping. His business venture was very successful but it was always about the trucks. His final employment was working for McKenzie Haulage carting green waste around southeast QLD.
Jimmy was in the trucking industry for 41 years. Jimmy sadly passed away at home from a heart attack on 28th March 2018. His funeral was very well attended in a celebration of his life.
Inducted in 2024. His funeral was very well attended in a celebration of his life.
Inducted in 2024
