ATHS Member Keith Harvie Inductee to Road Transport Hall of Fame

Another ATHS Australian Chapter member found on the website of the Road Transport Hall of Fame.

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2011.

The son of Shepparton Vic. transport operator Mort Harvie, Keith was destined to make his life in transport.

At 13 years old he was driving around the farms while his father was loading hay.  It was only a matter of time when,  in 1961, he teamed up with his mate, Hall of Fame’s Stan Gardner. The pair bought their first truck, an International ARC162 when Keith was 18.

After 6 months of working 6 days a week hand loading and carting tomatoes for Melbourne market they paid for the truck and went their separate ways. Keith bought his first semi, a Commer, and later a couple of other English lorries, Bedfords, carting grain, cattle and timber in the Murray River area. After a couple of years of running as a small fleet owner he sold up and went driving for Mayne Nickless carting explosives and getting a taste for interstate running. He then drove for Ernie Yoe Transport, Kortums Transport and Arthur Elliot Transport. This is how he learnt his trade.

Then in 1975 Keith bought his first of many Louisvilles fitted with a highrise bunk and had the first 22 pallet trailer built to suit it.

In the early 1980s he won a contract to cart Plumrose foods from Echuca to Brisbane which needed extra trucks and subbies to do the work so more Louisvilles, a Mack FR700, a Kenworth and a Volvo were added.

In 1987 he sold the trucking business and started Echuca Machinery Centre and again trucks were needed so another Louisville and a Scania with Hiabb cranes were purchased.

Keith is still in Kyabram selling machinery and is currently restoring an International ARC162 to remind him of where he started so many years ago.