Bruce Marks

BRUCE MARKS is one of Hamilton’s (Victoria) most prominent businessmen and road transport operator. Bruce is retired these days but started his business in Hamilton as a 19 year old youth in 1962. Keen to enter the livestock haulage business he purchased the old well known firm of Tyres Transport and set up a depot just down the road from the Hamilton Livestock Exchange. It wasn’t long before Bruce Marks established depots at Mt. Gambier, Melbourne and Wodonga. Bruce sold out to Finemores Transport in 1978.

At the peak of operations Bruce Marks Transport had a fleet of 60 trucks and a staff of 100 people. The business primarily carted livestock throughout Victoria and NSW but also carted general freight and other loads as required.

Interestingly Bruce’s original office is still standing in the Hamilton saleyard and Bruce recently removed all his old photographs from the walls, had them remounted and donated them to the National Road Transport Hall of Fame. One of the photographs is of a White truck which was Bruce’s favourite. It had a lot of chrome, one of the first high rise cabs walk through cabs.

It was built by the White Motor Corporation in Brisbane under order of OG Roberts who were the Victorian and South Australian distributers. OG Roberts asked Bruce Marks to spec a truck so it would win the 1977 Adelaide Truck Show. A Mack had won all the interstate shows. Bruce agreed conditional to the truck being painted in his fleet colours. White, OG Roberts and Bruce Marks split the cost of the extras three ways. The classic truck went on to win Adelaide and Melbourne shows. Bruce Marks is retired and still lives in Hamilton.