Howard Edward Parker was born in the UK on the 8th August 1944 and moved to Australia with his family at the age of 2.
Howards first start in transport was driving tippers and bulldozers doing local and country work around Victoria.
Around 1968, when seeking a regular income for a young family on its way, he moved on to working with Goldhill Plant Hire. Operating various machines
including a Mack low loader, this continued for 9 years, during this time he was doing the occasional interstate runs to Port Headland delivering conveyer belts.
The occasional interstate loads is where his love for the long hauls began, trips to get away from the cold in Victoria.
Howards first truck purchase was a second hand LNT Louisville with a 3208 V8 Cat motor. Working as a car carrier for Complete Auto Transport in
Broadmeadows Vic, this took him all around the East Coast of Australia carting new Ford vehicles.
The next two to three years doing approx. 600’000 km in the ever reliable 903 Cummins, he moved on to Friendly Transport based out of Dandenong, this time transporting Holden vehicles. Howard was then offered the opportunity to
transport the new engine differentials from General Motors Fisherman Bend Vic to Acacia Ridge Qld, the truck did two trips a week.
Deciding again to purchase a new truck with more horsepower, Howard chose a V8 Scania 141 Bogie drive, this towed a new freighter dry freight van. This was a 2 year stint in which time the Acacia Ridge Holden plant closed down. A new run presented itself doing express freight from Melbourne to Adelaide, bringing the GMH parts from Elizabeth SA back to Dandenong Vic.
With things going well, never one to just be idle, he purchased three secondhand Mark 1 Superliners, along with a S-line and a UD. With this, Howard had 5 trucks running for a period of time, employing drivers, doing a mixture of work but mainly contracting to Friendly Transport. One of the main jobs was carting
ISUZU trucks to all states around Australia, the Brisbane run was always a
favorite of Howards.
Early 1990 saw Friendly Transport being bought out by Finamore Transport. For the next 10 years, Howard contracted and transported Isuzu and International trucks all over Australia the main destination was Brisbane as he could then
arrange to bring back Louisville trucks from Eagle Farm to Melbourne.
At the end of this 10 year contract, Howard sold off the Macks and the other trucks and in 1995 purchased a brand new Western Star, this allowed him to do what he truly loved, the long haul trips all over Australia. Freight was mainly
machinery going over to Western Australia. Many years were spent delivering large oversized machinery into mining areas like Tom Price and Argyle Mine.
For Howard, like many truck drivers, it was never just a job it was a way of life, a life he loved and shared with lots of people he had met along the way. Even when ill health stopped him from driving, you could still hear him on the phone trying to help anyone who needed him to get the best paying load possible or just
lending an ear to a friend who was driving those endless miles along the
Nullarbor.
Howards much loved Western Star was sold with 3 million kms on the clock!
Howard currently lives with his wife Pat still in the same town he was trying to escape in 1968 when this adventure began. Howard has 5 children Howard, Kim, Heath, Kylie and Ashleigh. Howards eldest son better known as Docker is also a truck driver and continues the HP Transport legacy!
Inducted in 2024
