David ‘Dave’ Hart was born on 18th February 1962 in Bunbury Southwest, Western Australia.
Dave has been around and involved in the transport industry all his life, being the son of a truck driver, Eddie Hart.
During school holidays and weekends, he would take any opportunity to jump into trucks and travel around with his father. He has great memories of Eddie teaching him how to drive at a young age.
Dave’s first truck driving job was with Catalano and Son in Brunswick WA, driving an old White 2670 with a perkins motor that replaced the original petrol engine-5 speed main gear box and 4 speed joey box, 1800 petrol internationals and a Mack cab over FR V8-71 GM carting sand, gravel and fertilizer leg bins around the local area. His next job was with Carbone brothers of Brunswick driving an old Iron Horse Mack updated with a
fibre glass bonnet, with a quad box and 230HP Mack motor.
Always thinking of ways to improve on knowledge and experience Dave progressed from local area cartage to getting a job with Klopper Transport in midland, WA carting stock throughout all areas of WA from Albany and Esperance regions as well as the Kimberley region.
This was one of the great highlights of Dave’s career, at 20 years of age
operating triple trailers 6 deck cattle road trains throughout the
Kimberley region and double road trains throughout the rest of WA.
Throughout his career, he was fortunate enough to operate SAR
Kenworths, NTC 400HP Cummins, KTA 450HP Cummins with Spicer and Road Ranger gear boxes, Cab over Kenworths same running gear, Mack Ultra Liners V8 400HP, and Mercedes V10 320HP.
Dave came back to the South wWest of WA and worked for Malatesta Transport carting mineral sands, grain and earth works materials. Once again, on the quest to self-improve, he came back and at 24 years of age Dave purchased a Kenworth W900, NTC 400Hp Cummins and his
East-West transport career came about, carting mineral sands by-product from Bunbury to Port Pirie SA and steel from Whyalla to Melbourne and Sydney. Two years later he purchased a LTS Ford Louisville with a NC365
Cummins for the task, a great truck, lighter and more fuel efficient.
Dave was featured in English transport magazine ‘Truck and Driver’ in 1988. After 5 years and a million kms, Dave sold up and went back to local haulage.
After working local for Piacentini and Son hauling goods from Picton WA to Eneabba, Dave went on a working holiday around Australia and ended up working for another great company in Darwin, at Northern Territory Fuels hauling Shell products from Darwin to Katherine and Alice Springs.
Dave then transferried back to WA with Northern Territory Fuels
working out of Leanora and Geraldton servicing the mining industry. He then moved to working at MGM Transport back driving and supervising, and running quad road trains hauling Iorn ore in the Pilbara.
Dave is still involved in the transport industry and can’t see himself
retiring anytime soon!
Inducted in 2024
