The son of two truckies, owner operator David Imeson, 30, was always destined to follow in his parents’ footsteps, though he tried his hand at carpentry for a number of years before stepping into the big rigs full time.
With his new Kenworth T659 and deck widener, he transports agricultural machinery up to 28.5 tonne all over the country.
“I’ve grown up around trucks. My parents have been in trucks all my life. Dad was working with them since I was old enough to walk. I was travelling in the truck with my dad by the time I was four or five years old. Dad always had Kenworths and started teaching me to drive in a T650 when I was about nine or ten,” explained Imeson, who is based in Pittsworth, just near Toowoomba.
“Mum only started driving more recently, in the last five years or so. I have four sisters, so she couldn’t go away for too long with five kids!”
Imeson left school when he was 15 and completed a carpentry apprenticeship before getting his truck licence at the age of 19. His driving career started at his father’s business BE & RL Imeson Bulk Haulage, where he stayed for three years, before deciding to go out on his own.
“I bought a Kenworth T658 off him, then sold it after about nine months and bought a new T659 from Angus Short at Brown and Hurley, Toowoomba. I had it for four years before buying this new one,” Imeson explained.
Featuring all the bells and whistles you could think of, that new truck, the specced-up Kenworth T659, is certainly a real head-turner. A TikTok video of the truck posted on the Brown and Hurley Facebook page has racked up over 800,000 views – and a further 400,000 views when it was shared by a Kenworth Trucks Facebook fan page.
Imeson picked up the new truck in January and was on his way out of Perth when he had a chat with Big Rigs.
“My missus Stef Retzlaff and I did a bit of work to the truck. She’s a boiler maker, originally from Perth. She actually works for Pitstop who fitted the truck out. They did the bunk cooler, hydraulics, deck plates on the back, drop visor and all the lights, just to name a few,” said Imeson, adding that it’s also equipped with a shower, microwave and sink.
“I love the Kenworths – they’re solidly built and good trucks, with a good resale value on them. That inspired the back wall a bit too.”
The blue and cream colour scheme was painted by Kynon Taylor at Taylor Truck Repairs, while the artwork on the back was completed by Jeff Barry at Cyclone Airbrush and Graphics.
The artwork features three skulls wearing caps inspired by Kenworth’s 50th anniversary (one sports the Kenworth logo, another has the word ‘50 years’ and the other says ‘Australian made’.
“I wanted the artwork to be Australian themed, so there’s an eagle on the top and red belly black snake that winds up through the skulls. It also has the words ‘Living the dream is killin’ me’, which is a song by country singer Morgan Wallan,” Imeson explained.
Mackenzie Grace, the couple’s 16-month-old daughter also has her name written at the top of the bunk.
When asked what he enjoys most about his job, Imeson said, “I’m always moving around and never in the one spot. You get the freedom to go where you want. I love travelling to Perth, that would be my favourite place – and anywhere in WA is beautiful. It’s a good run up that way too. I’ll be doing this for a long time.”
‘Truckin’ in the Outback’ is proudly supported by Loadshift, Australia’s largest freight marketplace for individuals and businesses seeking to buy and sell road transport services.