We’ve built a reputation for all-out adventures here at ROADBOSS. Sometimes, though, we’re forced to stop chasing the horizon and look at where the tracks began. This journey is one that the Clark brothers, fourth-generation custodians of TJ Clark & Sons, have already been on. It’s a century-long trek through the beating heart of Sydney; a story of draught horses, yellow iron and a 1976 Autocar that finally found its way home
There is a specific, high-pitched frequency that lives in the soul of a die-hard Caterpillar fan, and it’s not the whoosh of the turbocharger. It’s the unmistakable timing gear whine, I’m told by Stew Read, a long-time employee at TJ Clark & Sons.
“It’s a Cat 3406B, fully mechanical engine, and they have this distinctive noise … it’s the way they’re timed,” he tells me, eager to emphasise his deep-seated love of the yellow brand the moment we meet.
As I stand in the TJ Clark & Sons yard in Holroyd, Sydney, that distinctive sound bounces off the shed walls. Before me sits a 1976 Autocar DC 9364F called Billy, in a livery that can only be described as perfection – old-school TJ Clark & Sons signwriting, against a vibrant, freshly-painted yellow cabin.
For brothers Mick and Tom Clark (the fourth), this isn’t just an old truck that’s been freshened up. It’s a 20-tonne tribute to their late father, Billy Clark, and a physical manifestation of a family transport legacy that predates trucks altogether.
They’re best mates, too, Mick told me in the lead up to this visit; working together, traveling together. It’s visible once you’re around the brothers, who both have distinctively different personalities but come together as one to form the TJ Clark & Sons so many know and love.
He left school at 13 or 14 to work with his brother Tommy. They were aggressive in business – buying trucks, growing, always pushing.
Tom’s the business brain, but certainly not a corporate type, exuding a cool, country confidence that is likely the result of a hardworking upbringing. He calls it like it is, but it’s clear he cares about people – from drivers to customers.
“We’ve always been a part of this,” he says, when I ask about how early he and Mick were brought into the business. “I reckon we had jobs by the time we were four or five, helping around here. I guess it’s all we know in that sense.”
Mick’s visibly excited, clearly more of a truck fanatic than his brother, as we stand back and admire the truck.
“I just love it,” Mick tells me, his gaze fixed on the Autocar. “That signwriting was done by the same company that did the original artwork on this truck. I mean, the guy who did it is probably dead, but the same company, you know?”
His adoration of the Autocar makes sense. While Tom ran the business, Mick was always an operator at heart, preferring to spend his days on the road than in an office. For him, this truck was the holy grail, the rig he’d admired growing up – the truck that put TJ Clark & Sons on the map.
“Ever since I was born, Dad said he’d buy the Autocar back one day,” Mick’s daughter, Georgia, tells me as we watch him hook up a 20-year-old Drake trailer to the Autocar.
For Mick and Tom, this isn’t just an old truck that’s been freshened up. It’s a tribute to their late father, and a physical manifestation of a family transport legacy that predates trucks altogether. Images: Nathan Duff
When I ask her if she’s as much of a fan of the Autocar as her father, she shakes her head. “I just like seeing dad happy. So, I love how happy that truck makes him,” she responds.
“It was the one that got away,” Tom adds, from a few feet away, raising his voice to reach us over the gruff idle of the Autocar. “Seeing it back in the family … it’s definitely emotional. Dad would be proud of what we did with it, for sure.”
From one horsepower to many
To understand why a 50-year-old truck carries so much weight, we’ll have to take you back to 1895. Long before the countless highways around the country were paved with bitumen and two years before the first ever Autocar rolled off the factory line, Thomas Joseph Clark was working the wharves of Sydney with draught horses and timber carts.
In those days, heavy haulage referred to a team of well-fed horses and a sturdy wagon. The freight came off the ships at the port, and the brothers’ great grandfather was one of the operators who moved it. It was slow, back-breaking work and required a level of animal know-how that today’s operators would struggle to fathom – short of some of the livestock carters out there.
Tom Clark – the original Tom Clark, because it’s a name still alive and well today mind you, with Tom Clark the Fourth’s son, a young lawyer in Sydney, also carrying it – was a master of the reins, navigating the woodblock streets of old Sydney with tonnes of cargo in tow.
The transition to internal combustion didn’t happen overnight. It started with a timber-bodied Federal with no doors in the ‘30s, before a number of Ford pickups put in the work for the next decade or two – all petrol-powered models in those days.
Dad always said he wanted it back. When he passed in 2017, we knew we had to find it for him. It took a long time, and the owners were passionate collectors of Cat gear … But we just kept saying, ‘we need to get it back’.
In the early 1930s, Waugh & Josephson became the official distributor for Caterpillar in New South Wales, promptly partnering with TJ Clark & Sons after looking for a transport partner it could trust to move the earthmoving equipment that would quite literally build Sydney.
By the mid-century, a wave of bigger prime movers landed in Australia, becoming available for operators like TJ Clark & Sons, who had made do with smaller pickup-style rigids until that point. Whites, Oshkosh’s, R-model Macks, and eventually Kenworths began to roam the highways around Australia.
By the 1950s, and through the ‘60s, Mick and Tom’s dad, Billy, was in charge of the business and he wasn’t afraid to take a risk, which meant plenty of those big new trucks.
This bold approach to business saw the company grow to around 10 trucks, taking on whatever work the growing city could throw at him, while remaining steadfast in his partnership with the Caterpillar dealers around NSW and the ACT.
“Dad got his licence around 16, but he’d been going to work his whole life,” Tom tells me. “He left school at 13 or 14 to work with his brother Tommy. They were aggressive in business – buying trucks, growing, always pushing. Mind you, he knew the value of a dollar.”
Tom and Mick are flicking through a photo album up the front of their yard. We arrive at a photo of their father, Billy, next to the Autocar, sometime in the ‘80s.
The restoration was extensive with the truck stripped the down to its chassis, the cab restored and the signwriting done ‘the old way’ by Raymar Signs, who did the original lettering. Images: Nathan Duff
“You wouldn’t mess with him, would you?” Tom smirks, pointing at his father, who certainly looked like somebody not to be trifled with.
“He was tough, but he was fair,” says Mick, “and he could load a truck better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Ninety and (almost) out
While the Clark name is synonymous with transport, it is equally tethered to the Caterpillar brand.
The relationship began in 1934 to be exact, making TJ Clark & Sons the longest-standing transport partner for the yellow brand in Australia, a 92-year arrangement that has seen tens of thousands of machines moved across the country.
Tom estimates they’ve moved at least 3,000 machines a year for decades, when I ask how many pieces of Cat gear the company has actually shifted since the beginning.
“Every D11 that’s ever come into New South Wales has been on one of our trailers, but in total it’s got to be in the tens of thousands, in fact it might even be more than 100,000,” he says, appearing to ponder the question for the first time.
Every D11 that’s ever come into NSW has been on one of our trailers, but in total it’s got to be in the tens of thousands. In fact, it might even be more than 100,000.
It’s a staggering volume of iron, amounting to more than 100,000 machines at best estimate. But, they weren’t all yellow, with the brothers also handling plenty of one-off heavy haulage efforts that nobody else could.
“They even moved a Russian space shuttle for the 2000 Olympics,” Georgia chimes in.
“Ha, yep, we moved it along the wharf to get it out of the way of a ship,” Mick reminisces. “It was supposed to be a big tourist attraction, but it never came off.”
Now, the brothers embark on a life after the business, having very recently sold TJ Clark & Sons to heavy haulage titan Ares Group, although they’re still very much a part of the operation for the foreseeable future.
Their sisters, Margaret and Susan, were with them right up until the business sold too, highlighting just how deep the family values run within the business. Margaret handled the accounts, while Susan took care of compliance and training for the business, and Tom tells me they were absolutely instrumental in its success.
Together the siblings reached incredible heights, and Ares Group will now continue the TJ Clark & Sons legacy with the same livery and commitment to the WesTrac team.
While the Clark name is synonymous with transport, it is equally tethered to Caterpillar, a relationship that began in 1934, making it the longest-standing transport partner in Australia. Images: Nathan Duff
But the Clark name is still alive within the business, with Matthew Clark – cousin of Mick and Tom – staying on as an operator.
He was also a part owner until recently, but is a fair bit younger than the brothers so isn’t ready to pull up stumps quite yet.
The sale to Ares was a difficult decision, but a necessary one, Mick explains.
“It’s bloody hard to find drivers now,” he admits. “That’s a big part of why we sold it. But we won’t stop coming down here and we’re staying on for a bit, to help with the transition and make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Since the sale, they’ve had more time than usual to spend with family and friends, enjoying the finer things in life after decades of commitment to the business.
The brothers have well and truly earned the break. Even though I get the impression neither is very good at sitting still. They’re do’ers.
The Macks and Kenworths weren’t quite there yet, so it [the Autocar] could just handle bigger trailers and that third axle gave us even more weight.
The star of the show: Billy
The Autocar we’re here to look at is actually the second one the family owned. The first was a 1967 model with a 220hp Cat 1673 engine, which Billy owned in and around an array of Oshkosh’s, Macks and Whites.
This one, a 1976 DC9364F – not that the model denomination means much in Australia, where most have never seen an Autocar in the wild – was originally purchased from WD Crouch, a White dealer at the time.
It arrived as a tri-axle arrangement and was chosen, according to the brothers, because it was bigger than anything else in those days. It also had more power, with a Cummins NTA under the endlessly long bonnet, pushing out an impressive 400hp.
“The Macks and Kenworths weren’t quite there yet, so it could just handle bigger trailers and that third axle gave us even more weight,” explains Mick.
Mated to a Drake 8×4 trailer, the Autocar was a serious workhorse capable of moving earthmoving gear bigger than anything else could. The truck and trailer were heavy on the road, at around 20 tonnes, but back then the setup was rated for another 52 tonnes – and we don’t doubt even more weight found itself on the back at points.
One of the Autocar’s early claims to fame was as the first truck to cart a Cat D10 dozer in the early ‘80s, a feat never before done Down Under. The Autocar handled it with ease, earning its stripes as a heavy haulage hero.
The Autocar was hooked up to an old Drake low loader, ready to carry a Cat dozer for one final load out to the WestTrac Caterpillar branch in Casula. Images: Nathan Duff
Across its first life with the Clarks, it was driven both by Billy and a staff driver named Wally Dunbar, from one end of the country to the other. Wally was a fixture of the company, driving for 30 years before doing escort work once into his 70s.
“Wally loved this truck,” Tom tells me. “I remember being a young bloke, jumping in with him to move a 988 wheel loader from Newcastle to Wollongong. I’d be the one dragging the chains, getting covered in grease and grit. Wally would just sit there behind the wheel, king of the road.”
In the late 1980s, the decision was made to repower the Autocar with an engine that better represented the TJ Clark & Sons’ obsession with all things yellow. A Cat 3406B was dropped in, mated to an 18-speed Roadranger, and the pusher axle was removed.
“The joke was that if we were ever late for a pickup, we couldn’t say we broke down … because Cat engines never stop,” Mick laughs.
That trend would stick, too, with many of their trucks repowered with Caterpillar donks, or purchased with C15 and C16 engines from the factory when that was an option. They even pulled Mack V8s out in favour of Cat power, in a move that many would deem sacrilegious.
The Autocar was eventually sold off in 1997, a casualty of the constant need to upgrade and modernise the fleet as the trailers and machinery got bigger. It didn’t fit in the modern world as a working truck, unfortunately, so it had to go.
The joke was that if we were ever late for a pick up, we couldn’t say we broke down … because Cat engines never stop.
For 26 years, it belonged to just two other owners, first an operator who converted it into a tipper, and then a collector who had a bunch of Caterpillar gear.
“Dad always said he wanted it back,” Mick says. “When he passed in 2017, we knew we had to find it for him. It took a long time, and the owners were passionate collectors of Cat gear, so they didn’t want to let it go easily. But we just kept saying, ‘we need to get it back’.”
The crew at WesTrac put a word in with the collector, who was a friend of the Clarks, suggesting the truck belonged with its original owners, as a tribute to Billy and the company’s long history.
When it rolled back into the Holroyd depot in October 2023, it was finally home.
Back to the chassis
The restoration was extensive, because the truck was far from its original condition. It had been hacked up and turned into a tipper, not to mention it sat in a paddock for a handful of years and had the scars to prove it
Mick and Tom, along with driver Stew – who’s also a diesel mechanic – went over the truck from top to bottom. Stew has been with the Clarks for 21 years and, by all accounts, bleeds yellow more than anyone else. He was as excited as the brothers to bring the Autocar back to life, so convincing him to help wasn’t hard.
You can’t talk about heavy haulage without mentioning The Drake Group. Like the connection with Caterpillar, the Clark family’s relationship with Drake is built on five decades of trust. Images: Nathan Duff
The decision was made to do it properly, opting to strip the truck down to its chassis, starting with repairs to the rails to fix rust and general wear. This was done by Kent Collision and Customs, who also handled the bodywork and paint.
The mechanical heart of the Autocar is, of course, still a Caterpillar. While the yellow engine ran just fine, it went to Western Diesel in Penrith for an overhaul, ensuring it’s healthy for many decades to come.
Inside, the cabin was restored, but keen-eyed readers may notice it isn’t actually the cab that came on this truck. In the ‘90s, the Clarks fitted a Western Star Heritage cabin, swapping out the outdated original for a virtually identical replacement.
“Autocars had the same cab back then, aside from a few little Western Star details,” Mick explains. “You wouldn’t know the difference, but it made it a hell of a lot more comfortable for the drivers.”
The final piece of the puzzle was the sign-writing, which was done ‘the old way’ by Raymar Signs, who did the original lettering back in the day. The finishing touch was the name on the back of the sleeper: Billy. It’s a fitting tribute, giving the brothers back a core memory of a truck they grew up watching their father drive.
It’s got to be a Drake
You can’t talk about heavy haulage in Australia without mentioning The Drake Group. Like the connection with Caterpillar, the Clark family’s relationship with Drake is built on five decades of trust.
We’ve tried a couple of other brands here and there over the years, but it’s pretty much always been Drake.
As it goes, Billy Clark became great mates with The Drake Group founder Collin Drake, after buying the first of many trailers from him in 1975.
“I remember seeing dad and Col in the shed back in the day, they’d be in there for hours talking about all things transport,” Mick shares. “If dad needed a trailer, he’d tell Col what he wanted and they’d make it happen – it was all done over a handshake. We’ve tried a couple of other brands here and there over the years, but it’s pretty much always been Drake.”
When the Autocar was finally finished last year, its maiden voyage had to be special. Mick and Tom decided to run it bobtail to the Casino Truck Show in August, before driving on to the Drake factory at Wacol to pick up a new 5×8 Swingwing Extendable trailer for their fleet.
“It was a proud moment,” Mick smiles. “Pulling into Drake’s with that truck … it really did feel full circle.”
One final load
We made the decision to run the Autocar from the Holroyd yard out to the WesTrac branch in Casula, for one final load – and for the purpose of getting photos of it in its natural habitat. It’s pulling an old Drake low loader, ready to carry a Cat dozer, likely for the last time now it’s on historic plates.
The old girl still has plenty of pep, as it thunders along the motorway. The 3406 sings through the twin stacks, blowing just enough soot to remind you it’s from a different era. Mick looks at ease from the cab, wheeling the restored Autocar as his father did half a century ago.
For contrast, long-time driver Stew rolled out in one of the Ares Group’s Kenworth T659 runners finished in the TJ Clark & Sons livery. Images: Nathan Duff
Watching Mick and Tom coordinate the effort is admirable, given how many siblings butt heads in businesses like this. Not these two. They’ve spent their whole lives working together, so it’s all they know.
“We just don’t argue,” Tom says, “but that goes for everyone in the business. Our family just made sure everyone was happy. We were a family structured as a business. We paid well, treated people well, and never missed a payment. That’s how you keep staff for 20, 25 years.”
Once at the WesTrac site, where the Clarks are welcomed with open arms, it’s clear their connection to the Caterpillar brand is far from skin deep, extending to the people they’ve dealt with over the years.
“They’ve actually become like family,” Tom tells me. “Seriously, that’s the part I’m going to miss most, I think – dealing with these people.”
One such person is Cameron Stewart, who has been dealing with the Clark brothers since he was a 16-year-old apprentice. He’s 51 now, Tom tells me. “His birthday is in two weeks, actually.”
Cameron is the manager of used equipment at WesTrac these days, and he’s still the first person the brothers call. It’s a kind of long-term loyalty that feels increasingly rare in an era of transactional business dealings.
Seeing it back in the family … it’s definitely emotional. Dad would be proud of what we did with it, for sure. I wish he could see it here.
It might be what the brothers are best at, I think: being good people to work with. “Ha, I mean, if I had to sum up how we operated, we did try and get along with everyone,” Tom says. “We got to know people and we treated them with respect. I think they appreciated that.”
As the D8T dozer settles onto the low loader, Mick begins chaining it down. It’s a sight to behold, as the Autocar sits in the WesTrac yard with a load similar to the one it carried nearly 50 years ago.
For contrast, Stew rolled out in one of the Ares Group Kenworth T659 runners finished in the TJ Clark & Sons livery, and a grader was loaded onto another of the Drake trailers. The contrast between the old and the new, the many decades between them, is powerful. WesTrac workers wander out into the yard for a look. A few apprentices whip their phones out to take photos.
“Dad would love seeing it like this,” Mick says, looking up at the two trucks. “He knew we always wanted the Autocar back. I wish he could see it here.”
As we roll back towards the depot, the afternoon sun gleams off the back of the cabin, illuminating the signwritten ‘Billy’ on the back. We might be a world away from the draught horses of 1895, but in the cab of this Autocar the Clark’s history feels close enough to touch.
It’s a reminder that in the transport industry, we aren’t just moving freight. We’re building legacies, growing families, forming memories. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, those memories find their way home.
