Pro-Trucker Driver's Choice - March April 2024 ( Find Your Trucking Jobs)

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

BY JOHN WHITE

Free Again!

Now that the COVID-19 restrictions are, for the most part, in the rearview mirror, and the public hesitancy over crowds has diminished, Show N’ Shines, Truck Races, and Trade Shows are back in full force, and I hope to get out to see some of them this year. One show I will definitely be attending is the APNA Show at the Tradex in Abbotsford, BC. I, representing Pro-Trucker/Drivers Choice Magazine, and Johnny Zeek, owner of ZZChrome, will be sponsoring the Show N’ Shine.

The APNA show has taken over where the old Truxpo Shows sponsored by the BCTA left off. The APNA show is now the largest Trucking Trade Show in Western Canada and features a trade show, job fair, seminars, Show N’Shine and Entertainment. I am looking forward to this and possibly other shows this year. It is always great to see so many old friends and acquaintances who come out to these shows. Not only that, but I also love to cruise the booths to see the new trucks and technology.

Below is a list of just a few Canadian shows scheduled for this year:

APNA (Trade Show and Show N’ Shine) Tradex, Abbotsford, BC, June 8-9

Truck World, (Trade Show) Toronto, ON, June 18-20

Clifford Truck Show, Clifford, ON, June 30 – July 1

Southern Alberta Annual Truck Expo, Job Fair & Show & Shine, (Date to be announced 2023Lesco Pro Show N’ Shine, (Date to be announced)

I know I have not scratched the surface with this list, so if you know of or are putting on a show, please email me and let me know where and when they will be held. For Drivers going south who may want to take in or enter a Show N’ Shine in, as my good friend Ed Murdoch liked to say, the Excited States, the website below has a very comprehensive list of U.s and a couple of Canadian shows: https://www.smart-trucking.com/truck-shows/

On another note, I am sure most truckers who have been around for a while recognize Jim Park and his writing. Jim is a freelance writer who has been in the industry for many years. For younger drivers, Jim Park started driving in 1978 and was a company driver and then owner-operator for the next 20 years. In 1998, he started writing about the industry. He has hosted radio shows, contributed to the Road Dog Trucking Channel, and done a number of road test videos on trucks.

I just read one of his road tests on an E-Truck. His honest road test evaluations are always straightforward and to the point. It is always good to read articles written and watch videos where the host has the “you asked for it” attitude and not one who does reports to please the manufacturer. It would be very interesting to get Jim’s take on the diesel-over-electric logging truck being developed in Merritt, BC, that I wrote about in our November/December issue.

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RIG OF THE MONTH

by John White

Rob Goertzen is this issue’s Rig of The Month.

Like many drivers, Rob has been around machinery from a young age. Also, like many drivers, he has at times ventured out into other careers but has always gravitated back to trucking.

My name is Robert Goertzen.

I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised by a loving family with traditions, family values and hard work. I always cherished the values my folks passed on as they told us about growing up on rural farms in southern Manitoba. That is where my interest in trucks and heavy equipment comes from.

On most holidays in the mid-’70s, our family would all squeeze into the Red Buick Skylark and head down to St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba, a 1-hour drive on the single lane Hwy 75 to spend time with my Grandparents.

Grandpa always told stories about his younger years, about the hardships and hard work and how he did a lot of trucking with his brothers when they were young, hauling grain from farm to elevator, loading and unloading trucks with shovels and getting stuck in snow drifts.

I spent every summer break with my grandparents. Grandpa would haul grain to town, and I would ride shotgun, asking questions about what he was doing and why. I would watch him like a hawk, listening to the engine and seeing how and when he shifted.

In the summer of 1984, my Grandparents retired, and we took over the farm. Moving from the city to the country was a big change, but it allowed me to prove my worth on the farm. It gave me lots to do feeding and caring for the horses and having acres of grass to cut.

My father worked trucking jobs in our rural area, and then he would bring the truck home, where I would help him service and clean it for his next trip. I was there beside him every chance I had.

My Dad drove a 1984 Western

Rob Goertzen

Star with a low pro bunk, and I would beg him to let me drive it down our ¼ mile-long driveway and back. He finally relented and let me try it. So off I went down to the end of the driveway, turned around and came back. I thought I did a good job and felt pretty proud as I pulled back into the yard. To this day, I will never forget what he told me. He said, “I was listening to the truck the whole time, and you were over-revving the engine. You need to lower your R.P.M. between shifts, and your gear selection is off.” I was like, wow, you heard all that?

After graduating high school, I worked for a local Shell service station with a repair garage and towing service. As time passed, I worked my way up from pumping gas to repairing vehicles. The owner was great and worked with me while I learned to fix vehicles. Then, he taught me how to drive the tow truck. I was in my glory driving a 1987 Ford 550 Tow Truck with a century wrecker on the back. I did a lot of recovery work, rollovers, major accidents and even the odd heavy tow. Life was good because I was living alone, making good money, and driving a tow truck.

I became a Morris Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department member, where I had the opportunity to operate fire equipment as well as First Response Vehicles. I was a volunteer with the department for about 14 years.

After the flood of the century in 1997, I had an opportunity to work for the Rural Municipality of Morris as a heavy equipment operator. I had always been interested in operating heavy equipment, so I jumped at the chance. I started on an EX230 ELC Excavator, building roads, ditch cleanouts, loading trucks, etc.

I was a low man on the seniority list, so I was laid off when winter came. Unfortunately, winter in Manitoba can last up to 5 months

or more. I returned to operating the excavator in the spring, and then one day, my foreman suggested I get my Class 1 so I could move my excavator myself. He also said it would make me more versatile and give me something to fall back on during the winter. I told him I wasn’t sure how to get my Class One, and he said he would teach me how to pull trailers on weekends. I told him I wasn’t as concerned about driving as I was about the airbrake test, but he said he could help me with that too. I don’t know about anyone else, but the thought of the airbrake test made me nervous, but with his help, I had no problem. Next came the driving part, which was easy for me, and I aced my Class 1 test.

Wow, what a game-changer. There I was, driving a 1980s Ford Louisville with a 300 Cummins engine and solid spring suspension, pulling a Knight low-bed. My foreman was right; it opened up a whole new world for me, and I went on to pull belly dumps, gravel trailers, spread gravel, and haul equipment.

When the winter layoffs came around, I was hired by Clement Farms to haul grain, pulling Super B’s to elevators in Alberta and Saskatchewan. I was nervous about pulling them but also excited about what a challenge it would be. I drove a 1987 Freightliner Cab Over with a 400 Big Cam Cat engine. The first trip to Calgary from Morris was -35C out with a wind-chill of -42C.

The Trans-Canada Highway between Virden, MB and Regina, SK, was rough at the time because they were twinning the highway. I remember it being so rough that the driver’s door would open. Finding a place to park for the night was challenging. Where could I fit a Super B, and how would I back into a stall?

In the spring, I returned to operating the excavator and hauling my machine around the Municipality, gaining more experience. When the

winter layoffs came about that year, I was hired by Westfield Industries to haul grain-handling equipment.

When I was young, I always took notice of the trucks on the road and the Westfield trucks in particular. On Monday mornings, there was always a line of their shiny and clean trucks in front of Burkes Diner in Morris, MB. The drivers would stop there for breakfast and then convoy south of the border. I always thought I would love to do that one day.

When I hired on with Westfield, they gave me the keys to a 1997 Western Star with a 60 Series Detroit, pulling step deck trailers. Westfield Industries was a private carrier that hauled equipment, sometimes deep into the U.S. On some trips, you would return empty; on others, you would load steel as a backhaul. My mentor at that time was Ken Harder. Ken was the most senior driver at Westfield, and he taught me a lot about trucking.

I trucked all over the mid-U.S.A. into Georgia and across the corn belt to Washington State. It was a great experience.

I returned to the R.M. the following spring, and while I liked operating equipment, sitting in one spot excavating a ditch for 5 to 7 days no longer interested me. The challenge had worn off, and I missed being on the highway.

Westfield kept calling me to return, but it would mean a significant change for me and my family. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I be home every night with my family or go on the road? I finally took the leap and went back to driving for Westfield.

This time they put me in a Cherry Brown 1998 Peterbilt 379 Flattop. It was my first Peterbilt! I drove that flattop for a year, and then I was given a used truck passed down by a senior driver who got a new one. It was a

2004 Peterbilt 379 short nose with a 475 Twin Turbo Cat. Wow! What an upgrade for me.

One day, I asked a senior driver about the green decal on his windshield. He explained that he had a full-scale inspection, and the decal showed he had passed, which meant they didn’t require an inspection again for the season. That set me started on a mission to get a decal. I washed my truck before every trip and inspected it carefully when I returned to ensure it would be ready if I were pulled into the scale.

I had my turn on a Monday morning crossing into North Dakota. The scale was open, and the D.O.T. was doing inspections. It was probably the only time in my driving career that I was looking forward to an inspection, and I was ready - or so I thought! The officer said, “Park and come inside with your log book.” Another Officer met me around the side of the scale

house and directed me to dynamite the brakes but not to get out. I don’t know what was going through my head, but I didn’t dynamite my brakes. Instead, I watched them block the drive wheels, and then I jumped out of the truck and went into the office. The inspector went through my logbook, and everything was good until the outside inspector came in. He was mad and said, “You didn’t dynamite your brakes like I asked you to.” I was stunned, not knowing what to say. He then said, “Get out of here”. I asked if he was going to inspect my truck. And he said, “No! Get out! So, to this day, I have never received a decal, but at the same time, I have never had another issue with the scales.

Westfield treated us drivers with great respect, and their goal was to get us home to be with our families for the weekends. All of us appreciated that kind of respect from the company.

Unfortunate circumstances

resulted in two failed marriages that I don’t wish on anyone. I don’t blame it on being a driver. I think they just weren’t meant to be. So, in 2006, I left the highway and moved to the Okanagan to care for my daughter.

I took on a job with Argo Road Maintenance for the winter operating snowplough, which was a great experience. When spring came around, layoffs were inevitable, so I went to work in operating equipment.

I was uncertain about my future when I answered an ad about an Equipment Operator. I guess I didn’t read the whole ad because when I went for the interview, I was told my job description was to overlook equipment operators in a gravel pit. I was a bit unsure, not knowing what to expect, but I decided, what the heck, I’ll give it a try. When I arrived the next day, I was met by a gentleman who said he was struggling with a new operator and asked if I could check on him and show him a few things. I talked to the operator and showed him

how I would do the job. Then I stood back and watched him for a while. It turned out that the operator took directions well, and he did a good job. The first fellow congratulated me and said I would make a great instructor. From that day forward, I had a sense of reward and started a new career as a heavy equipment instructor with Taylor Pro Training Ltd. They also trained drivers for Class 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. I enjoyed working there. Passing on my life experiences was quite rewarding.

In 2012, I met the woman of my dreams and life partner, my wife, Jobina. We retired from our careers in 2016. If you call that retirement, I call it doing something else. We built our dream home and bought equipment to build and develop our property. We purchased our first truck, a 2018 Peterbilt 389 Day Cab Legendary Black with an 18-speed transmission. It was full of Chrome and lights and was my dream truck! I hauled aggregates with an Arnes End Dump Trailer custom ordered with a high lift tailgate and colour to match the truck.

Later, I purchased a low bed to transport

equipment for contractors in the area. So much for retirement!

In 2020, I ordered a 2020 Peterbilt 348 with a PX9 Engine with an Automatic transmission single axle that I drive today. I ordered a complete cab and chassis and rigged the truck out to be a water tender. Living in the Okanagan during summer, it gets tinder dry, and there is always the risk of fires. Being a volunteer firefighter in the past gave me a lot of ideas on what I needed to rig out a water truck. I had the apparatus fully rigged from OSCO Tanks in Orion, Illinois. They worked with me on what I needed and made the custom tank to order. Today, I drive my 2020 Peterbilt 348 and custom-deliver water to clientele throughout the Okanagan.

I’ve had many great life experiences, and I thank my father and grandfather and the many great people I had the good fortune to work with and for over the years. The road hasn’t always been smooth; there have been a few bumps along the way, but I don’t think I would change a thing if I could.

Letters to the Editor

John

On Nov 9 /23, I was pulled in for a Dot truck Inspection. I had done a full pre-trip so I wasn’t worried. I don’t mind inspections, as it gives me a chance to have a chat and get updates on new rules with an inspector. I have been a truck driver since 1998, mainly hauling Super B Trailers over the mountains of British Columbia. The inspector was a guy who did an inspection on me a year ago, and after spending a lot of time under my trailer, he came out and asked me to do some brake applications. After about 10 minutes of doing brake applications, I started to worry. He informed me that, although all my brakes were properly adjusted, I had no brakes on my two back axles. I had brakes on my front axle, but only when I dynamited my brakes did the rest come on. If I applied my hand valve or my foot pedal, only the brakes on the front axle worked. He told me that he had never seen this problem before. You have brakes, or you don’t. He said he had no choice but to put me out of service.

Unfortunately, he wrote me a ticket for $552. He said he felt awful for doing that because there was no way one person could find this problem. It took us half an hour of brake applications to figure out that I had a faulty valve. He did say my brakes were all in perfect adjustment. However, I was the only person he could write a ticket to. You have to wonder how many other trucks and trailers are out there with this same problem and how many other drivers have been fined for something they were not responsible for and could not reasonably know about. The trailer manufacturer should know about this issue and possibly have a recall, as this could cause many accidents.

Kelvin New Campbell River BC

Editor’s note: This is an ongoing problem in the industry where officers are restricted to whom they can write tickets. Of course, the officer had to take you out of service, but after admitting you did nothing wrong and had no way of knowing or catching the problem, he had no business writing you the ticket. I hope he did his job in one respect (since he failed miserably in the ticket writing area) and sounded the alarm to his peers and superiors that this is a serious safety issue that the industry should be aware of.

John, I just wanted to thank you again for featuring me as Rig of The Month in March of 2013! It was such a long time ago,

but it changed my life in many ways! After the publication and the overwhelming response from other drivers was over, the online article was found by a very special person in Denmark! I was contacted by a lady who informed me that I had a brother! I had no idea about him, and it was only because of the Pro-Trucker article that she reached out. I ended up meeting her and my brother from Denmark several years later (he looks exactly like my dad), and now I have a new brother, sister-in-law, niece and my new Danish Mama! Thanks, Pro-Trucker, for changing my life in so many amazing ways!

Christine Andersen (Cellier)

Editor’s note: I’ve talked to drivers who have met old friends and many who made new ones at truck stops and card locks because they were recognized from their profile in Pro-Trucker. But finding a whole family in Denmark that you did not know you had is an incredible story. Thank you for letting me know, Christine. You made my day!

Hypothermia or One Cool Cop

It was a Saturday, Jan 61 and Dad and I pulled out at about 4 am to deliver a load of hay to a racehorse outfit near Toronto. I had trouble with this outfit a year previous, and this time, when they had called, I let Dad handle them. He laid down the law and then came along to make sure they paid the bill and unloaded the truck. It was below zero when we left, and as we went out the door, Grandpa said there was one helldamner of a storm coming, and he was seldom wrong. The trip down was smooth, and thanks to Dad, we got paid, and the unloading went off without a hitch.

By the time we were halfway home, it started to snow, the temperature was dropping, and the wind was picking up. By the time we got to Barrie, the snow was coming down horizontally, and it was getting colder by the minute. We hadn’t eaten, so we stopped at Graves Supertest and grabbed a bite. We were just finishing our meal when Mr. Graves came over to tell us that we had better head home ASAP as, according to his info, the roads were likely to be closed soon. Dad and I hurried out and headed north directly into the storm. Highway 27 was not too bad, but when we turned onto the Townline, which ran east to west, it was drifting badly. We made it to the side road, and just after we turned, Dad suggested we pull in at Cole’s place and use their barn for shelter while we chained up. We were glad we did because the drifts were quite bad when we hit our next turn, which ran east to west again.

Just before we reached the hill

where the drifts were quite large, I spotted some chrome and black paint. I slammed on the brakes, telling Dad a car was in the snow. He looked and said it looked like a cop car. I bailed out and struggled against the wind to get to the car to see if anyone was inside. When I got there, I yanked the door open to see an unconscious officer slumped over the wheel. I turned and waved for Dad to help. Dad got there as I wrestled the door open wider, reached in, grabbed the Officer under his arms and dragged him out. Then, he bent over and heaved him over his shoulder. Dad hollered at me as he headed to the truck to get the keys and shut the door. I grabbed the keys, got the door shut, and beat Dad to the truck, where I opened his door and climbed in. Dad lifted the Officer, and I grabbed him and slid him into the middle of the seat. Then Dad got in and closed the door.

The nearest hospital was about an hour away, but we didn’t know if we could make it with the roads the way they were. We were only ten minutes from home, so Dad said we should head there instead. I backed the truck up, hit the big drift at a good clip, and busted through. Dad said the only place we should see drifts now was drift now would be just before our place, so pour the coal to the old truck. Dad was right; the only drift I hit was just before our place. It was headlight high, but I was on the throttle, and we busted through and pulled into our driveway. Dad told me to go open the door and warn Mom that our passenger had hypothermia and was unconscious. Dad came in and put the Officer in

the big chair. We wrapped the Officer in a hot flannel sheet and moved him in front of the stove on our old army cot. Dad went to the shop and brought in an oxygen bottle and facemask that our drivers used to cure hangovers. Mom had served as a WAF during WW2, and very little rattled her. She had treated other cases of hypothermia and knew what to do. The kitchen was hot, and we kept it that way all night. By morning, he was still cold on the inside but conscious and out of the danger zone.

We figure the Officer had made a wrong turn and knocked himself out when he hit the snowdrift. With the engine dead and him being unconscious, he would have frozen to death if we hadn’t come by.

It was Tuesday before they opened the road and Graves Towing came out and picked the car up. I took our pickup, drove the very grateful Officer to the station, and then dropped him off at his home.

The officer’s name was Tom Snellgrove, and after he heard the whole story of what had happened, our families ended up becoming quite close. He wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, but he was really interested, so I taught him how to hunt a fish. He turned out to be a good friend.

Dave Madill

Tough Act to Follow

It’s a pretty well-known fact that I’m a truck nerd. Large portions of my free time are spent reading about and thinking about trucks and trucking. Once, while looking over my shoulder while I was on my laptop, my ex said it would be more normal if she caught me looking at naked women instead of pictures of old Kenworths. Apparently, she thought it was a bit weird. Maybe she was right.

From my point of view, though, it’s not some sort of sickness; it’s just a healthy obsession with the thing I’ve spent most of my life involved with. For me, there’s nothing more interesting than hearing stories and seeing pictures of how it was done back in the day. Maybe it helps connect me with my grandfather, knowing what he would have gone through to get things delivered. Perhaps it gives me an appreciation for all our modern equipment from watching a YouTube video of a guy working some old screaming jimmy. I’m not sure, but it’s a habit I can’t break!

The other day, I saw a Facebook post featuring a copy of Pro-Trucker circa 2004. Some of you would have read it. The cover truck is a W900 A model the same guy still owns. At the time, Al McMartin worked both that truck and his LW in the lower mainland hauling equipment, and I remember thinking what a feat it must be to drive and maintain the old iron to work it every day. Fast forward 20 years, and he is still working that truck. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that there won’t be anyone in 2064 working an old Cascadia or T680 or VNL…

To some of the younger readers,

my nostalgic fixation probably makes me sound like every old man ranting about “the good ole’ days,” but that’s not the case. My fascination with oldschool trucks and trucking is more of an appreciation for the men and women who did it. Think of it as a way to pay respects to the ones who built this industry and the sacrifices they made.

By Greg Evasiuk

Greg is a 3rd generation trucker with over 1 million miles and 22 years in trucking.

My son is taking part in a social experiment. He has to wear a “GO VEGAN” t-shirt for 2 weeks to see how people react. So far he’s been spit on, punched and had a bottle thrown at him! I’m curious to wee what happens when he goes outside.

Often I hear the sports term sacrifice the body when someone blocks a shot, takes a hit, etc. I think this applies 100 percent to what drivers did back in the day. When I sold trucks, I was the only one on the sales team and one of only three people at our dealership who could drive a twin stick, so I got to take our restored 1956, B61 Mack to all the shows and conferences. At first, I thought it was a great honour to be entrusted with this super cool piece of history. In practice, it just made

me more in awe of the guys running those old trucks daily. My longest trip was to Red Deer and back. While 190 horses may have been a decent number in the 1950s, bobtailing had me shifting steadily across the relatively flat prairie. Add to that the small, noisy cab, no AC and a pancake flat original seat… a 12 to 18-hour day has to be considered sacrificing the body!

In the past few years, I’ve made runs to the Arctic, Tuktoyuktuk, Fort Good Hope, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and other remote northern outposts. I am proud to have conquered all those beautiful, challenging runs, but I’ve talked with old-timers about how it used to be done. I can’t even imagine setting out to these places knowing you would most likely be breaking down and changing your own tires, sleeping across the seats and chaining up constantly. Oh, and I forgot to mention the weak heaters. Hats off to all of you who made those journeys 30, 40, and 50 years ago.

I’m sure trucks will continue to improve in my lifetime, and maybe one day, I’ll be telling my own old-timer stories. There will be guys who can’t believe we ever did it in these trucks with their manual transmissions and only 550 horsepower! I hope there will still be a few guys around who appreciate us for our sacrifices, whatever that might be.

What???

In the last issue, I wrote about situations on the road that leave you scratching your head and thinking, “Did I really see what I just saw?” I have some more to tell you about. I’m sure that everyone has come across situations like these. If you have, send them in as a letter to the editor. We would all like to hear about them.

It was a beautiful summer day on a long weekend, and I was going from Vancouver to Winnipeg. Things were normal until I got east of Strathmore, AB. The road was flat with a gradual turn to the left, and the ditches were shallow. At that spot, there was a feed corral, a water-filled dugout, and a farmyard behind the barn. I did not see this happen, but I did see the result. A semi with a van had gone straight off the road into the dugout. The whole unit had turned 180 degrees in the water, and the only part of the truck sticking out was the top of the cab. The whole unit was still upright, and the trucking company’s name proudly showed on the three feet of the van that was sticking out of the water. There was no one around, so I carried on.

At the Hays AB. Intersection, just before Brooks, there was another incident. The highways department had signs and barricades up where they had cut the shoulder down 4 feet to make a turning lane to the right. A transport truck had run over the barricades and put the right-hand wheels into the excavation. The truck and trailer were lying on their side. As I slowly passed, the name on the trailer was the same as the

one in the farmer’s dugout. Again, there was no one around, so I carried on. Both happened to the same company on the same day and within 50 miles of each other. I just shook my head and made a mental note to steer clear of that company’s trucks.

By Glen Millard

Glen “The Duck” was born in Saskatchewan. He has driven trucks for 50 years, mostly long hauling. He’s now retired, that is until another adventure comes along.

All went well after that until just before Swift Current, a truck had gone straight and the road went to the left. He was lucky because there was a 30-foot drop-off where the road had been cut through a hill, and he went just about to the top before the truck fell over. Again, nobody was around, so as I slowly went by, I read the name on the trailer and, yes, it was the same company. I’ll bet that a dispatcher was pulling his hair out somewhere, and an insurance company wasn’t answering their phone.

This next one should have been made into a movie with Jim Carey. It was a clear, sunny and warm summer day. I was headed west, a few miles before Maple Creek, SK., on Highway 1. I was going 95-100 km. I was slowly catching up to a truck when he came on the radio and said he was restricted to 90 km. I said I’ll slow down just a bit, and we’ll have some company. He said he was going to Surrey, BC, with a full load of fresh eggs, but they (his company) told him to take a trailer with spring suspension instead of air ride. He went on to tell me that they didn’t know how to dispatch

and how he knew better how to run the company. I was confused because anyone I knew who was that experienced would be sitting in a big office chair. He then came on the radio and said, “My cooler has a bad connection and is causing static on the radio, so I’m going to unplug it. I’ll be right back. Let me know if I go into the ditch.” I thought he was kidding.

I do not tailgate, but I thought I would drop further back. Just then, his truck slowly left the highway to the right-hand ditch, and down he went right to the bottom. There was lots of dirt and dust flying, so I dropped further back. Just then, a ½ ton pickup with an older farmer met us. The transport went into the ditch where somebody had built an approach road. In Saskatchewan, all the approaches are sloped, so if someone goes into the ditch, they don’t hit a square bank. This approach was well-sloped, and as he went over, he must have cleared it by 4 feet. I’m sure all the dust, telephone numbers, and odd notes fell from behind his sun visors and shook loose all the fillings in his teeth. He landed straight and went about a truck length and a half past the approach before he stopped.

By now, the farmer had made a U-turn and pulled up behind me. I got out, and the farmer came running

• $300 0 sign on b onus

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up to me and said,” Did you see that?” I just smiled and said, “Oh yeah, he does that sometimes.” The farmer just looked blank, turned, went back to his pickup, and left the way he came. In the meantime, “Sparky” got out and ran to the rear of the trailer. When he opened one door, an omelette about a foot deep and the full width of the doorway landed around his knees, forming a small lake. As I came up to him, I

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couldn’t help myself. I said, “I think you’re in the ditch now.”

The truck wasn’t running, so we went to check it over. I checked the suspension, rad, oil pan, and anything that might have broken, but nothing seemed damaged. I suggested that he start it and see if he could slowly climb out of the ditch. I closed the hood, and he jumped in; it started, then jammed it

into gear. I thought he might go easy, but he gained three gears in the ditch before he turned and climbed up and out and didn’t stop. He just left me on the side of the road with a large pool of scrambled eggs in the ditch. I hopped in my truck and got out of there before the farmer returned and wanted me to help clean it up. All in all, I’m sure the coyotes ate well that night.

HAMMER - Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. Also very good for locating thumbs in the way of the necessary task. Comes in various sizes and is colloquially known as a taco-meter or whack-ohmmeter.

COLD CHISEL - A ingenious tool that makes Superman look like he is standing still. Once used with a hammer, it can fly to great distances across the room, thus denting anything in its flight path.

Act of Kindness

He walked into the café, he felt so tired, old and gray Thirty years of asphalt under his wheel today.

Marie, she saw him coming and grabbed the coffee pot Said. “Jake, I got what you need, strong and black and hot.”

He slowly looked her up and down and said, “Marie you’re quite a girl, But what I need just isn’t here, you won’t find it in this world.

My wife left eight years ago, now she’s with another man, My children have all grown and left so I get by the best I can.”

Marie poured him a coffee and watched him where he sat, Thought it was a crying shame to see old Jake like that. Then when Jake got up to leave in front of twenty men, Marie gave him a big old hug, said, “You best come back again.”

Jake headed across the parking lot with the spring back in his step, As he climbed in his truck said, “Well I ain’t dead yet.”

Now Jake’s back on the highway smiling as he goes down the road, Just a simple act of kindness helped him bear hisload.

Dave Madill

Seize the Day

It seems I’ve developed a nasty case of FOMO! For those who may not know what that is, it’s a “Fear Of Missing Out.” It appears that I make a pretty decent travel partner, so whenever someone asks me to tag along, I have difficulty saying no. I’m so afraid that if I don’t go, I’ll miss out on some epic trip and be angry with myself for not going. Having said this, I need to win the lottery, and I mean soon, to keep up with this lifestyle. Plan B is to go to Vegas, put all my money on red, and let it ride! That’s probably not the best method, though.

I did tag along on a trip to Vegas in January. I gave myself a budget and hoped to win a few bucks. I want to say that I have a “long story, short” type of story, but honestly, it was a real short story.

In the words of Elvis Presley, “Viva Las Vegas with your neon flashin’

And your one arm bandits crashin’

All those hopes down the drain.”

I didn’t win a dime, all said and done, which means I’m still here to tell you that I didn’t quit my day job. I will still be cruising North America with the best of them.

I had a blast though, and that’s the main thing! Actually, the main thing was missing all the cold and snow that hit home and across the US during that time.

Shortly after running from this trip, I got invited by some friends to go back to South Africa this fall. Of course, in addition to a case of

FOMO, I also have Rubber Arm Syndrome. It doesn’t take much twisting, that’s for sure! Then, shortly after that, my friends, with whom I travelled to Vegas, got some excellent offers for cheap stays, so they invited me back again. Since I have two rubber arms, I can let you use your imagination as to my response.

My thought process in all of this might seem strange to some. You might think that after living in a truck for weeks, I might want to stay home and relax. That’s not the case though. I tell people that I work hard so that I can play hard. I want to see the world, take in every experience I can and make memories. So many people say, “I’ll travel once I retire.” My mom told me what she wanted to do and see once she retired. She never made it to retirement. I don’t think she had any regrets because her life was fulfilled in other ways. I feel that if the opportunities present themselves and I have the health and wealth to do it, why not? Now, I don’t necessarily think I’m in the greatest shape, and I know that I’m not rich, but I’ll make it work!

All of this planning had me thinking of my overall financial status. Unfortunately, my workplace doesn’t offer a pension plan, so my future falls solely on the money I have set aside. I’m not a risk taker in the financial sense. I mean, I honestly had a hard time spending sixty cents per spin on the VLT machines in Vegas. That’s practically one dollar Canadian! I’ve been contributing to RRSPs for many years, but I don’t have anywhere near the amount I think I should have. I don’t know

By Myrna Chartrand Myrna was born and raised in Oak Point, Manitoba and was our

April 2019 Rig of the Month driver.

anything about investments, so I put my money in GICs, which I felt were safe and sound. I won’t get rich from them, but I feel they are a bit of a security blanket.

However, this last trip to Vegas had me thinking that maybe I should be a moderate risk-taker. I thought maybe I should finally speak to a financial advisor. I had some money in a pension plan from my job before getting into trucking. I’ve left it in the GIC for over fifteen years and collected approximately two thousand dollars of interest over all of those years. I probably should have followed up or inquired about this fund sooner than I did, but such is life, right? So, I contacted a financial advisor and got advice about further growing that money. He was very helpful, and I took the plunge into a moderate-risk mutual fund. I was telling him about all my future trips in the works, and I felt like maybe he didn’t think it was wise based on what he saw of my financial situation.

In the words of Doris Day, “Que Sera, Sera” is what I was thinking. Maybe there’s a strong chance that Freedom 55 is not in my future, but think of the stories I’ll have to tell. You only live once, right? Why not make it a good one?

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The Future

Ihave to wonder what will power the trucks of the future. You might have seen old steam-powered trucks at a classic truck show somewhere. That was back when the pace of life was a lot slower. The driver started his shift by filling a water tank, cleaning out the ashes, getting a fire going under the boiler and then making a cup of tea while the boiler heated up.

Foden was one of the companies that made steam-powered trucks back then, but there was a disagreement between the Foden brothers, leading Edwin Foden to split from his brother Peter to start making the ERF trucks. Edwin was convinced that diesel engines were the way to go, so in 1931, he built his first diesel truck, the Foden F1, and the rest is history. That engine is considered to be the first viable diesel engine used in a lorry. (Or, as you Canadians insist on calling It - a truck.)

Considering the speed at which technology is changing, you have to wonder if it won’t be long before

the diesel engines go the way of steam engines, and the only place you will see them is in museums and at antique truck shows. In my second favourite trucking magazine, I read that Volvo started making electric trucks in 2019, and now offer a full line of six electric trucks. The Volvo FH electric has now been voted International Truck of the Year, but I don’t understand why. Surely it can’t compete with diesel-powered trucks for usability.

By Colin Black

Colin

Black lives in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland

and has been driving truck for over 40 years. His story shows us once again that the problems drivers face are universal.

featured in Pro-Trucker magazine’s last issue, an invention of some very savvy Canadians. Not having to charge the batteries from shore power, considerably more power while having a 50% reduction in fuel consumed sounds like a big step in the right direction.

In the same magazine, there was an article on an electric Volvo logging truck that had been purchased to haul logs brought into Inverness port and deliver them inland, a short twenty or thirty minutes drive away. I can understand why the electric logging truck would be ideal for that run. It is just like buses, post office vans and smaller electric trucks that already deliver in town centres because of restrictions on the emissions of older trucks and cars. It seems like most city centres will be low-emission zones, just like London, which is expanding its low-emission zone out to greater London. Unless a grandfather clause exists, people and firms with older, non-compliant vehicles will have to buy new cars and trucks.

At this point, existing electric trucks are not suited for long haul. The distance a truck can travel before recharging, access to charging stations, and the length of time to recharge the batteries isn’t feasible. So far, the best answer I have seen to the range problem would be the diesel over electric logging truck

I see that Swedish manufacturer Scania is road-testing CNG (compressed natural gas) trucks. The range is better than electric trucks, and the economy is better than diesel trucks. When refuelling, there is no waiting around the CNG gas tanks, which take the same time as diesel tanks to fill. All that’s needed now is the same number of fuel stations for the CNG trucks as for diesel trucks.

But who knows what will power trucks and cars in the future: diesel, petrol, electricity, or maybe hydrogen? Maybe trucks will be powered by electromagnetic propulsion, as my old buddy, the late great Mel McConaghy, wrote about in his story, “The Raven.” According to Mel, the driver will only be there to bring the truck out onto the highway, where the computer will take over because the road speeds will be beyond the capabilities of a human being. Come to think of it, some of the drivers I’ve seen have already reached that tipping point.

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