Based in Ipswich, Queensland, Marcus Post purchased his prized 1985 Ford Louisville LTL 10 years ago.
The words ‘High Standards’ are proudly painted on the bonnet. Just one look at this LTL tells the passing punter that these words indeed aptly describe the truck, which is worthy of more discussion.
Speaking with Marcus, the discussion quickly leads to the realisation that high standards apply not only to the truck but to Marcus and his entire family. The esteem in which this young man holds his parents, John and Belinda, is nothing short of heart-warming.
“Mum and Dad bought the truck back around 2011, before I even had my licence. They wanted to work it but Dad already had his truck and he didn’t want to jump out of that to drive this. He tried to put drivers in but no-one really wanted to know. So many people with so little taste, I say,” said Marcus.
“I didn’t even have my car learners then but I said to Mum and Dad that if they kept it, I would eventually buy it off them and would work it for them. And that’s what has happened – and I’m keeping the dream alive.
“It was originally very bare; just plain white with no pretty bits on it. I’ve spent a lot of money and time on her, having done pretty much everything to it. Just recently I got it spray-painted and airbrushed.”
Reflecting on what the truck was like to where it is now, Marcus explained: “It originally had a 40-inch Freightliner low-line bunk with a crawl-through. As soon as you climbed through that hole that was it, you were in bed – there was nowhere to stand up to change or anything. I didn’t even have bunk air-conditioning back then; all I had was the bunk door and a little Supercheap fan.
“I had a fridge between the seats and that was it. It was getting a bit hard because I was doing a lot of interstate.
“Dad rang me one day and asked if a Peterbilt 63-inch bunk would fit on the back of it and I said no. I thought he was pulling my leg. But he went ahead and bought it anyway, sent me pictures and said, ‘This is yours’.
“So we pulled the old bunk off, stretched the chassis by 1200mm and put airliner suspension under it – it had Hendrickson walking beam before. I’d said to Dad that if I ever did anything I’d pull the suspension out, because it was very rough on the back and not practical, so we put airbags under it.
“It’s still a bit rough because the cab is hard mounted to the chassis rails but nowhere near as bad as it used to be. We also took two leaf springs out of the front end to make it sit a bit lower and toughen up the look.”
From that cramped old bunk Marcus now has all the mod cons: TV, fridge, Travel Buddy oven, air-con – and room to move!
He has put his imprint on just about everything – except the Spider rims. “I’ve had a few people message me saying to put 10 studs under it but I couldn’t do that to the look of it. Spiders look great.”
Mechanically the LTL has also had a few upgrades, with the original 3406B CAT replaced with a Detroit Series 60 DDEC III. The 15-speed gearbox was also replaced with an 18-speed Roadranger. “I loved that 15-speed,” said Marcus, “but I needed to bring the revs down. Fuel prices!”
The Detroit is rated at 470hp – plenty for the job of hauling a single flatbed with mainly steel, plus some general, running Brisbane to Melbourne, Adelaide and up to Cairns.
The artwork on the truck not only looks terrific but is also dedicated to the family history.
“That was done by Lucky Caleb from Brisbane. He airbrushed Dad’s truck 16 or 17 years ago. We got in contact with him – he is now retired – but we asked if he would come out of retirement and do my truck because I loved his style.
“On the back wall we have a couple of pictures of trucks that mum and dad had back in the 1990s when I was a kid and then an airbrushed picture of Dad’s and my brother’s trucks with my truck in the middle. ‘Looking Forward Looking Back’ is the name – I just thought it was all fitting. I used to sit on Dad’s knee in that Kenworth and steer it going up the Hume.
As well as Dad and John’s LTS pictured, there are also a couple of Kenworths.
“Yeah, we have three – not that we really care about them,” laughed Marcus, possibly risking life and limb at a truck show where 90 per cent of the trucks attending were of that revered brand.
“Yes, there are two Kenworths on there and a Mack, but they are on the outer edge so we can always delete them. Besides, we like to stand out from the crowd. There was a time when these ruled the road. There was a reason Ford wouldn’t sell Daimler the Louisville name and it’s kept them special.”
Standing beside me, looking at his mural on the LTL, Marcus commented – as much to himself as me, “I have always looked up to Dad, he’s always been my idol. So I’ve been more than happy to go in with him and continue the family tradition.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without Mum and Dad and I thought it [the mural] was a fitting tribute. Dad, he’s helped me to do everything to my truck. We worked well as a team. My youngest brother, Josh, he helped as well. We are a close family.”
John and Belinda Post had a logging business in Tasmania until regulations pulled the rug out from beneath them. No work and a family to feed necessitated a move to the mainland, namely Ipswich, in 1994. They tried going home a couple of times in the interim with little success and are now entrenched in the sunshine state, although a map of Tassie sits proudly on the truck.
John sits behind the wheel of his 1989 Louisville LTS, aptly-named ‘Chained to the Wheel’, while Belinda drives the computer and keeps the company afloat. “Someone has to organise the next job,” she said.
With five trucks – and John, Marcus and his younger brother Brad behind the wheels, the other two trucks have been sitting idle because of a shortage of drivers.
“It’s a perennial problem, finding drivers you can trust who are going to look after your trucks. Some just don’t recognise how much work and sweat, blood and tears go into buying the gear,” said Belinda.
“You’re building up your name and then you put a driver in, they don’t represent you the way you’d like and that can ruin your business overnight.”
John continued: “We are fortunate we have our own work and we trust those that work with us,” – referring to the business they occasionally contract out. “It is all prime contract work and that means you get a reasonable quid. All our customers are very loyal to us, so we are very lucky.”
John’s Louisville is an ex-Finemore truck with well over two million kilometres on the clock and with a 450hp Detroit DDEC II, it has been very reliable. Like Marcus he only hauls single trailers.
“We’re not interested in B-doubles; there’s a quid that can still be made out of singles. With flat tops it is specialised freight because not a lot of people do them anymore,” said John.
“So I have someone who can tarp, but can’t make a bed!” retorts Belinda.
Like Marcus, John’s mural’s centrepiece is the Louisville. But while they love their trucks, it is plain to see that this family love and respect each other even more.