There aren’t many transport companies that have a history as long and fascinating as that of Russell Transport.
Still family owned and run and now in its third generation, it was started at a time when motor vehicles were still in their infancy, just starting to replace the horse and cart.
When Roy Bayley Russell purchased a new Dodge in 1925, it marked the beginning of Russell Transport, which he ran alongside his wife Beryl Russell.
In the beginning he was transporting motor oil, then that expanded to include wool.
His son Phil Russell was just 15 and a half when he joined his father’s side. He eventually took over the daily running of Russell Transport in 1971. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the International S-Line was the company’s truck of choice.
Then Phil’s children, Julie, Ken and Michael Russell joined the family business through the 1990s and 2000s, marking the third generation. By that time, the Kenworth cabover was the truck the company relied on for its long distance and heavy haulage work.
And so it made perfect sense that a truck from each of these eras would be at the centre of Russell Transport’s 100-year anniversary celebrations.
As Julie explained, “A restored 1926 Chevrolet represents where we came from, a restored 1987 International S-Line represents my father’s era and the workhorses of the time, and then we’ve got the new K220 for the modern era – as the Kenworth cabover has become our signature truck.”
Russell Transport’s current fleet includes around 200 trucks and 350 trailers. Of those trucks, around 140 are prime movers – with 20 being Kenworth K200 and K220 cabovers.
1926 Chevrolet
Unsurprisingly, given its vintage, this truck is a replica of what Russell Transport’s early fleet looked like. It was purchased by Phil from a pineapple farm decades ago. About 20 years back, one of the company’s longest serving panel beaters was tasked with making it look like those original Russell Transport trucks – using old photos for reference.
That truck had been in storage for many years, up to now.
“It was done up to look like one of granddad’s trucks,” said Ken. “It hadn’t been started for five or six years, so we got it back out to check it was all working. The truck used a siphon system and being 90 years old, the carburetor had totally disintegrated. I was given a contact who could fix it.
“When I got on the phone, he asked if I was Phil Russell’s son. He told me the only reason he knew how to work on this was because his father owned the Mobil service station around the corner from my grandfather, and he had done his apprenticeship working on Russell Transport vehicles.”
1987 International S-Line
While the old Chev is a replica, this truck is the real deal, owned by the business since it was purchased brand new. It spent 18 years on the road, doing the hard yards as it clocked up around 2 million kilometres.
The S-Line did everything from single trailer through to heavy haulage work, until it was de-registered in 2006 and turned into a yard truck.
“We removed the truck from road duties once it hit about 1.4 million kilometres. It wouldn’t have had an easy time in the yard either!” said Julie.
Ken added, “That particular truck was chosen to be in our 100-year celebrations because it had a direct lineage from when we owned it.
“It was a really good truck. When I first started here with Dad, the fleet was mainly Internationals – we had a lot of S-Lines and a lot of Accos.”
Its restoration was a 12-month labour of love, working to get it looking exactly as it did when it first hit the road. Though Ken says a few people have told him, it looks even better than when it came out of the factory.
“This is a beautiful truck. It was pulled apart, sandblasted and then painstakingly put back together. The motor, gearbox, diffs and radiator package have all been overhauled.”
Though Russell Transport’s fleet colours have slightly changed since this truck hit the road, it’s been painted up to look exactly as it did when it was in service.
“We did the exhaust exactly the same and even found the antenna for the radio – because I know Dad doesn’t throw anything out! The only things we are missing are the radio cassette player and the ashtray.”
Ken revealed one of the most difficult things to source was the S-Line sleeper cab. “I spent about six months looking for one and then someone came to me and said they found one on Facebook Marketplace. I called and said it was exactly what I needed. He said, ‘Well it should be, it came from one of your trucks!’”
Following anniversary celebrations, this truck will be on display at Winton’s Heritage Truck & Machinery Museum and may even make an appearance at the Casino Truck Show in August – though that’s yet to be confirmed.
2025 Kenworth K220
Along with being the 500th truck to enter the Russell Transport fleet, this K220 is also the company’s 100th Kenworth.
Though Russell Transport typically prefers to steer away from too much bling, this truck has all the bells and whistles.
Rated to 180-tonne, it features extra chrome, painted tanks and walkways, custom cabinetry, an offset exhaust and a back window has been removed to make way for one of two special murals.
The mural on the back of the cab was chosen to tell the story of how the company’s fleet colours changed to its signature tan and white in the late 1960s. “Granddad had green trucks and Dad got sick of seeing them coming back covered in dirt every time they went out west, so he changed the colour to tan. The mural shows one of our old trucks and a Kenworth coming out of a dust storm, along with our 100-year-logo,” explained Ken.
“Then on the walkway, there’s a mural of my grandfather, grandmother and my father. We’ll also be adding the years they were in the business too.”
On the sides of the truck, there are also three logos the company has had over the years.
Trucking through the ages
While the new K220 was first unveiled to the public at the recent Brisbane Truck Show in May, all three anniversary vehicles came together during Russell Transport’s special 100-year gala dinner, held on Saturday June 7 at Brisbane Powerhouse, in New Farm.
As Ken explained, even the venue had a special significance. “My grandfather started the business at a warehouse at New Farm, near the wharves. Then my father moved to Hamilton and now we have a depot at Lytton. Queensland has three main port facilities and we’ve been close to all of them.”
As Julie added, “We decided we wanted to hold this celebration at New Farm, going back to our roots and back to where it all started.”
At the event, Russell Transport hosted family, customers, suppliers and staff past and present.
“This was a celebration of our coming of 100 years. We were here to simply say we’ve been here through the good and the bad, the thick and the thin, the motorised vehicles and the horse and carts,” said Julie.
“It’s a recognition of how far we’ve come and what a big milestone this is. This is not just about having a family line, it’s about having the people around you that support that. That’s what makes 100 years possible and then the next 100 possible too.”
Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) CEO Gary Mahon was MC at the event and he spoke about what the road transport landscape looked like a century ago.
“One example he gave was that a lot of transport companies took years to move to tube tyres, because all the horseshoe nails thrown on the side of the road would deflate them,” said Julie.
Some of the company’s longest serving employees also took to the stage, including truck driver Phil Thompson, who turns 80 this year.
“Phil started here in 1971 and for over 54 years, he’s been turning up for work between 5-5.30am every day. He’s still out there driving, doing multi drop steel deliveries. He’s just amazing. We’ve asked him if he wants to retire but he enjoys what he does,” said Julie.
Looking to the future
Modest in their family’s achievements, Julie and Ken say the business couldn’t have gotten to where it is without the support of its staff, customers and suppliers.
“Julie and I are the lucky generation in charge of the 100-year celebrations. This is a milestone we get to enjoy, but I hope my grandfather had that same feeling at one year and then 10 years, and my father at 40 and 50 years. Those times are also just as important,” said Ken.
“I’ve been asked what 100 years feels like and it’s hard to put into words – but all the pain and all the setbacks have helped get us to where we are today.
“There have been some hard times along the way. You can’t get to 100 years without any setbacks – you just get back on the bull and keep on going.”
Ken says that with anything the Russell family does in their business, they set out to do it well.
“I think the business has been very modest over the last 100 years. There are some operators who are like shooting stars, but they burn bright only for a short period of time. I don’t want to be that person. We need to have a market presence and not have an ego,” he said.
“Russell Transport is here to offer a sound, reliable service, that’s not all chrome and bells and whistles. It’s more important to us that we do it right and we do it modestly. Whatever happens, we’ll always have our heads held high.”