 Peterbilt of Wyoming

R. Fred DeVore is a huge proponent

of Life- you know, the board game

Milton Bradley created in 1860, and ominously (originally) named The Checkered Game of Life.  “I feel really lucky to have had the upbringing

I’ve been given,” he said. “It’s been a good journey for me.”

 DeVore, 58, is a principal owner of Peterbilt of

Wyoming, a fully authorized Peterbilt dealership serving the Casper, Cheyenne, Rock Springs, and Riverton areas. This family-owned, thirdgeneration business has been around since 1949, when DeVore’s grandfather, Stanley,

opened White’s Trucking in Casper. DeVore

and his brother, Bill (Peterbilt of Wyoming’s other principal owner), bought the business from their father, Stan Jr. in the 90s - and there’s already fourth-generation family members learning the business.

 So, this whole Life thing…   “So, yeah, you and I grew up playing a board game called Life, remember that?” he said. “In

the game of Life, you’ve got a choice - you can

take the shortcut, or you can go a little longer and land on one of those things that tells you what

sort of wages or what sort of rewards you’re going to get - and yeah, you’re going to be a little further behind on that thing, but… you have to, you can’t take the shortcut. I think every kid in high school should have to play that game.

 “I think about that game all the time. I tried it, when I first started playing, I tried taking the

shortcut all the time. You never get ahead by taking the shortcut - you’ve got to put in a little extra work up front. You want to go on and get more education, whether it’s a tech program or a university degree - you just have to get through it, because in this day and age, just having a GED

isn’t going to do it.”  The main thing, DeVore said, is you really have

to get behind the wheel, give it some gas, and experience Life, first-hand.

Growing Up in the Trucking Business

Family businesses have a way of connecting family - and putting life into focus.

 “When all of our friends were out at the lake,

or up in the mountains screwing around, we were here pushing a broom, or working under a truck with a mechanic, running parts - I remember working out here every summer as far back as I can remember,” DeVore said. “I’ve swept that back lot so many times - we actually found out, well, we’d always find money out there, and dad would seed a few bucks out there so we’d find it and get rewarded.”

 After Stanley DeVore bought out the White

Motor Company franchise, he moved the business to the original Casper location on Yellowstone Highway in 1955. The family expanded to Cheyenne in 1994, Rock Springs in 1999 and Riverton in 2011.

 “It just keeps growing, growing and growing,”

he said.

 The company has seen its share of challenges

and change - starting out as a White dealership, then Freightliner. And then, Peterbilt came along.

 “It’s like selling Yugos, in our opinion, then

BMW comes calling,” DeVore said. “We should have done that years ago. It’s made all the difference. Our customers demand a little bit more, and so does Peterbilt. We finally met their requirements, so we went for it.”

 DeVore, who has his Commercial Drivers 

License, said there’s nothing he’d rather be doing than be in the trucking industry.

 “I have been to every state, with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii of course, and I absolutely 

love trucks,” he said. “It’s really a mobile

business. You’re literally all over the place. I’ve always said, if you’re in the trucking business, you could be dropped anywhere in the United 

States and be home in three days. Trucks will get

you home - and truck drivers, they are truly the gentleman of the Interstate - still.”   And Devore said it’s a great career path for those willing to put in the time and effort. Here’s some trucking industry facts, by the numbers: 

Truck driving is the most common profession in 29 out of the 50 U.S. states. 29.3% of truckers are between the ages of 45-54. 

Only 4.9% of drivers are younger than 24.

The average annual salary for truck drivers is $66,196 per year. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics opines that the number of truck driving jobs is set to increase by 21% by this year. 

There is currently a shortage of 48,000 truck drivers in the United States. The trucking industry loses $50 billion per year  because of traffic.

The top commodities transported via truck are food/agricultural products, machinery/electrical  products, furniture and clothing.  “It’s a great way to make money, see the country, and pay the bills,” DeVore said. “And with 

the new laws coming, it’s more training, and that means more opportunities.”

The interior of Peterbilt of Wyoming has evolved since the

space first opened in 1955.

Peterbilt of Wyoming provided the tractor for the University

of Wyoming’s football equipment truck.

Wyoming Trucking Requirements in 2022

Starting in February , prospective drivers who wish to obtain a CDL license will be required to complete Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). Additionally, those who currently have a CDL but want to upgrade to a new class, like Class A, or add specific endorsements – such as school bus, passenger and/or hazardous materials – will be required to take the training.  Training must be completed with a registered training provider. Prospective license holders will receive training in driving theory, like hours-ofservice requirements, as well as behind the wheel. While there are no requirements for minimum length the training can take, drivers can expect it to take about six weeks.  These ELDT requirements are implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), a federal act which was first signed into law in 2012 and was most recently updated in 2016.  This training is not retroactive; if drivers received a Commercial Learners Permit (CLP) or received a CDL prior to February 7, 2022, these Federal training requirements will not apply.  While DeVore does have his CDL license - and does go out on the road to pick up and deliver

trucks all over the U.S. - jumping from sweeping the back lot to sitting in the cab of a monster Peterbilt wasn’t quite what happened.  “I was an MIS (Management Information Systems), Accounting, Computer Science major,” he said. “I really didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I started here writing a lot of software - I started here at the dealership with two computers in 1987 - I wrote all the invoicing software and stuff like that. Then I went into truck sales, I’ve always been on the sales side, and my brother came up through the parts side.”  And as the company has grown, so has the specialization of the industry.  “I can outsource just about every job I have here, except for the guys who know how to work with their hands,” DeVore said. “I’m talking about printing your own money if you know how to work with your hands. And I’m talking about my technicians and my mechanics.”

Mechanics vs Technicians

The role of the person who services and maintains commercial vehicles has shifted significantly over the last several years, as has their title.  While some will use both mechanic and technician interchangeably, there are notable distinctions between the two. According to experts at TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on recruiting and supporting the vehicle service workforce, “Technicians are all about critical thinking, focus, attention to detail, and using deductive reasoning to ‘put the pieces together’ in a strategic approach to their work. Whereas mechanics are thought mostly to be doing physical work. As the industry has evolved, it is revealed how inadequate the term ‘mechanic’ really is in describing all that today’s techs do.”  A technician’s role involves exactly what the name suggests – a more technical focus requiring comprehensive training and utilizing complex tools to diagnose and repair vehicle issues. Examples of vehicle complexity today’s technicians are tasked with include driveability concerns, electrical system diagnosis, pinpointing various vehicle computer system issues, and more.  “When these hybrid trucks get here, we are going to have electrical engineers working for us,” DeVore said. “I’m serious. The more my guys learn, the more I have to pay them - and that’s a good thing. I mean it, if I don’t pay them, they’re going to go somewhere else where they will get paid. We’ve got guys pulling in $45-$50 an hour because they know what they are doing, they keep on learning - and they know how to work with their hands.”

Advice for Students Who Want to Pursue a Vocational Career

“I like what (the Wyoming Department of Education) is all about - being college, career or military ready,” DeVore said. “I think a kid needs to look at everything. Don’t spend the money on a university education, unless you have a really good idea of what you want to do. And research what these jobs actually pay. What do you want to do - what is your passion?  “Hey, look, I’m not a very serious guy,” he added. “But you have to look at that as well - you have to have fun at work. We have a lot of fun around here, and I think that’s really important. If you’re not having fun at what you’re doing, you’re in for a whole lot of unhappy years.”

              11 

Check out the opportunities at these Wyoming colleges and university

Casper College – Your Life, Your College, Your Future, Starts at Casper College.

Since 1945, Casper College has provided access to higher education resources that strengthen, support, and enrich the community. As the world’s economy changes, Casper College is training individuals to meet the demand for new skills and new ways of thinking. Casper’s Technical Education provides several paths to follow. There are more than 140 options to set your career in motion. Take a look to see what programs are offered that may fit your interests.

Central Wyoming College –Real People. Real Experience. Real Value.

Explore educational opportunities including certificate programs, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees. Central Wyoming College offers Career and Technical Education that is industry driven and hands-on. Career Services are available for your job search. Their main campus is located in Riverton with outreach centers in Lander, Jackson, and Dubois designed to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Eastern Wyoming College – A Great Decision for Your Future!

An innovative learning environment, Eastern Wyoming College provides academic excellence and community enrichment that champion’s student success. At EWC, you can start on the path toward your goals. Their variety of programs are aimed at helping you learn a new career or transfer to a four-year college or university. With affordable tuition rates and an easy transition from high school to college, EWC’s student experience is designed to foster personal growth with many outreach sites in the Community Service Area.

Laramie County Community College – LCCC lives through the power of inspired learning.

You can find your path at LCCC through the various program of studies based on your interest and goals. You can complete an associate’s degree, certificate or credit diploma, as well as prepare to transfer to a University. The Career Coach tool provides you with an opportunity to take a career assessment and browse careers and pathways that will lead you to that career.

Northern Wyoming Community College – Your future begins now at NWCC.

Welcoming all learners, NWCC empowers student success through a focus on career goals and educational programming. By broadening your career options and discovering occupations that match your personal preferences and attributes, NWCC supports their students’ personal needs and goal.

Northwest College – Your future, our focus – discover Northwest College.

Northwest College is a two-year residential college located in Powell, which is a close drive to Yellowstone National Park. With a strong focus on technical studies that builds a foundation for information systems, NWC students learn innovative practices for today’s workforce. NWC takes career advising to the next level. continued on page 18

Brian Deurloo is anything but a gloom-and-doom kinda guy. But with that said, sometimes a little brutal truth goes a long way toward making a point.

by Thom Gabrukiewicz, Wyoming Department of Education

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Deurloo, 49, is president and founder of Frog Creek Partners, an environmental technology company that offers innovative products that protects clean water - like the original Gutter Bin and Mundus Bag, a system that can remove a broad spectrum of sediment, trash (like cigarette butts - more about that later), and hydrocarbons from stormwater before it reaches stream and rivers.  He’s more of a gregarious guy - with a tremendous smirk when he speaks - who looks a little like former Athletics and Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire. This is a guy who keeps a couple of Australian frogs in an aquarium at Frog Creep Partners HQ in the Old Yellowstone District of Casper just for kicks. He’s quick to laugh, and loves to tell a story - and so, yeah, we’ll let him tell that brutal truth tale:  “I was doing my presentation to a bunch of grade-schoolers, and I always start out with bad news, you know, Debbie Downer, this is what’s happening in the world - albatross babies are dying, coral reefs are dying, the world, it’s in bad shape - I’ve got two slides that show that it’s not good,” he said. “I had this 10-year-old kid raise his hand and said, ‘How much longer do we have to be here, Mr. Deurloo? I said, ‘I dunno, about 10 more minutes, why?  “‘I kinda want to go, I’m really kinda sad.’ You’re sad? Why are you so sad? And he says, ‘I kinda don’t like what we’re doing to our planet.’ Well, I’m glad you’re sad, because we need people to be sad. Maybe one day, you’ll be in a position where you can go in and be the person who solves these problems. And he brightened up, because he was cool with that.”

The Evolution of Frog Creek Partners

By now, the story of how Deurloo created the Gutter Bin has become something of a legend. Deurloo has a thing about cigarette butts. Like, he really, really hates them.  “It really started many years ago, when I saw a lot of cigarette butts littering the ground,” the Sheridan native said. “Why do people throw this trash on the ground? I grew up in Wyoming, luckily we have a pretty clean environment. I don’t know, trash, litter, it’s always been a pet peeve of mine  “Did you know that if you put one smoked cigarette butt in a liter of water with 10 minnows, five of them will die within four days? Five dead fish in just four days. Nicotine is one of the strongest insecticides known to man.”  Deurloo, who has a mining engineering degree from the Colorado School of Mines, didn’t set out to create a fantastic stormwater capture system - which he has now built into a multi-million dollar business. Nope, he wanted a way to magnetize cigarette butts so they could be easily picked up with a simple magnet.  Deurloo was working in Casper as the North America and South America general manager for an oil and gas company based out of Brisbane, Australia. When energy prices tanked in 2015, Deurloo was tasked with laying off all of his employees - and then was laid off himself.  “When I shut my computer down, that was the end of that company in America,” he said. “The next day, when I was traveling back from Denver to Casper, I swung by the (Wyoming) Secretary of State’s office and filed papers to start Frog Creek Partners. It was all based on the idea for the magnetic cigarette filter. At that point, I had done hundreds of hours of research - I actually own a patent - all based around this idea. Anyway, I hired a consultant from the Colorado School of Mines, my professor Dr. Terry Lowe, and I told him my idea.  “Well, he said, ‘Brian, that’s a great idea, but it’s not a very good business model, since you only have three big customers here in America - Phillip Morris, Altria Group and RJR.’ I was mad and sad at the same time, but he was right. I needed to find something a bit more commercial, a bit more mainstream.  “But I still wanted to change the world.”