As we celebrate our 20th anniversary here at 10-4 Magazine, we want to say “thank you” to the people who have made those 20 years possible – our advertisers! 10-4 Magazine is FREE for drivers because of the companies and people who advertise in the publication. Please support these companies and individuals that support us. Every advertiser is important – we appreciate every one of you and hope we still have a great working relationship with you when we celebrate our 25th, 40th and the big 50th anniversary. This month’s article is all about our advertisers, and giving credit where credit is due, but let’s first look at what you get when you advertise with us and become part of the 10-4 family.
Knowing how hard it can sometimes be to find a magazine, especially if you live or run outside of the 11 western states, three years ago we started posting a “digital edition” of the magazine on our website each month with live “links” to the advertiser’s website (if they have one listed in their ad). This way, anyone, anywhere, at any time, can flip through the magazine, page by page, and enjoy everything it has to offer (including the helpful ads). We also publish a list of all our current advertisers and their contact points on our website at no charge to the advertiser. Readers are able to view all of this information for free, as well. We have always said that “FREE” is our favorite 4-letter “F” word – and we mean it! We have always tried to give our advertisers the most bang for their buck, and never tried to nickel-and-dime them to death with extra charges. When you advertise in 10-4, you become part of our close-knit family, and we work hard to promote your business.
For our advertisers who can’t make it out to the truck shows, wherever we go, they go with us, which means they are getting exposure at up to 15 shows a year across the nation. We take hundreds if not thousands of magazines to hand out at each event. The readers are the people who support our advertisers, and we sincerely hope that you can always find the part or service you need in 10-4. Please support the companies that support us. And when you call one of our advertisers, tell them that you saw their ad in 10-4! In honor of our 20th anniversary, we would like to give some special recognition to some of our advertisers that have been with us for a long time – some since the very beginning.
Transit Insurance Services in Ontario, CA has been on the back cover of 10-4 Magazine since the VERY FIRST edition back in September of 1993. This spot was their first choice because everyone sees the front and back cover, even if they do not open the magazine. I talked with one of the owners, Rick Bracken, and he told me that the decision to advertise with 10-4 was because we are a classy, quality publication without scantily-clad women in our ads. Rick and his partner, Kathi Bracken-Brown, started the tax and license service portion of their business in 1976 and then added insurance services in 1982. They started working with 10-4 at the very beginning and are still happy with the way they are treated like family. If you need insurance or tax and license services, call them at (909) 390-0035 or visit www.transitinsurance.com.
Art Temple Sr. is the owner of Parts Boys in Maywood, CA. Parts Boys has been with 10-4 since edition #2, also in September of 1993, because back then the magazine was published twice a month. Art told me that he started advertising in the magazine before it was anything – it was still brand new! He shared with me that he gets calls from people in Texas and all over the Midwest on a regular basis. Erik treats him well, and they are happy with the good response that they continue to get with their ad, even after all these years. If you need engine parts for your truck, call them at (323) 589-5466 and see if they have what you need.
Elmer’s Truck Seat Repair in Huntington Park, CA began 68 years ago. Elmer bought the land and built the shop where the business still exists today. Carla in the office told me that there is no computer, no Internet, and no caller ID – they still do business the way grandpa used to. Grandpa Elmer lived just down the street from the shop and never missed a day of work until he passed away in 2001. Invoices are still hand-written on grandpa’s old desk, and 5 x 7 index cards are still used to store the phone numbers of their customers, like Coca-Cola and Penske. 10-4 Magazine is the only advertising they have ever used. Carla told me that drivers still show up and say, “Hot damn, you are still here!” Like Parts Boys, Elmer’s started advertising in 10-4’s second edition in September of 1993 and has never missed an issue since. If you need to have your truck seat rebuilt or repaired, call them at (323) 588-8457.
Caliva’s Polishing in Montebello, CA started advertising with 10-4 in edition #4 in October 1993. Owner Vic Caliva teasingly told me that he still advertises in 10-4 because Erik threatens him. In reality, Erik and Dan have been there for him in his business and personal life. “It’s an honor to do business with 10-4 Magazine,” said Vic. He had many kind words for the magazine and the people who work to make it the publication that it is, saying, “We make the trucks shine and 10-4 makes us shine!” He continued by adding, “My hat is off to all the people at 10-4 – I appreciate them as much as I do my customers.” If you need to have your truck polished or if you need some accessories, call Vic at (323) 887-0656 or visit his website at www.calivaspolish.com.
On a side-note, Vic would like to tell Bob & Suzanne (Red) Stempinski that everyone out in California misses them, and that he sends hugs and kisses their way. Bob & Suzanne were a truck-driving team from Illinois that came out to California often and started this column many years ago. Here is where I would like to say “thank you” to Suzanne for suggesting that I take over this “Trucker Talk” column when her and Bob got off the road 10 years ago. I have enjoyed the stories I have been able to share, the people I have got to meet, and the great friends that I have made along the way!
J & P Clutch & Brake in Wilmington, CA is another longtime advertiser in 10-4 Magazine. Starting out in 10-4’s edition #5 way back in November of 1993, the longevity of their ad has to say something about their business, and how drivers must be happy with their work, or they wouldn’t keep supporting them. We have always had a great relationship with the folks at J & P, and hope it continues for 20 more years. If you need to get some clutch or brake work done on your truck, call them at (310) 834-1371.
Another advertiser who started in edition #5 is Sentinel Insurance in Inglewood, CA. Bob and his crew have provided quality insurance services to the trucking industry for decades, and been with 10-4 since November 1993. Although they have missed a few issues here and there along the way, they have always come back – and we appreciate that. If you need insurance, call Sentinel at (800) 937-8785 or visit www.truckinsure.com today.
Metro Diesel Injection in Santa Fe Springs, CA is the last advertiser to have started with 10-4 in 1993 and still be with us today – their first ad appeared in the December 1993 edition and has ran in every other issue since. Back when 10-4’s current Editor and Art Director Daniel Linss was first getting started as a graphic artist at 10-4, this was the very first ad he ever created – and nearly 20 years later, the small ad has not changed. He must have done something right! Jamie Chavez is in charge of advertising now, and he said they are happy with what 10-4 does for their company. He also shared with me that he enjoys reading the articles – and the first one he always goes to is Trevor Hardwick’s “Poetry in Motion” column. If you need some fuel injection work done on your truck, please call them at (562) 944-4846.
A couple more advertisers we would like to mention include Vargas Diesel in Santa Fe Springs, CA and Commerce Diesel in Lynwood, CA. These companies started advertising with us in March 1994 and April 1994, respectively, and have been with us ever since. There are many other advertisers, who have been with us for a very long time, but these are the ones who have been with us since the very first year – and that is a really long time! We would love to mention all of them, but you could just flip through the pages of THIS magazine if you want to see them all – and please, if you call them, tell ‘em 10-4 sent ya!
In addition to all of our long-standing current advertisers, there are a few that we would also like to acknowledge that were with us in the beginning (and for a long time), but for whatever reason are no longer advertising. Ace High Truck Parts in Los Angeles, CA is a truck wrecking yard and used parts dealer that started advertising in edition #1 and ran continuously until March 2011. Miller-Allen in Los Angeles, CA is a truck parts and engine rebuilding company that started in edition #3 and ran nearly continuously until August 2010. Keller Signs & Graphics in Fontana, CA is a vinyl graphics and lettering company that started advertising in edition #5 and ran continuously until 2009. Quick Stop Commercial Oil & Lube in Long Beach, CA began advertising with us when they first opened in May of 1994 and ran an ad every month until April of 2012, when the City of Long Beach bought them out to erect a freeway ramp pillar on their property.
We are very proud of the long-term relationships that we have built with all of these people and companies that keep the magazine FREE for our faithful readers. We have come a long way from the first all-black-and-white issue in September 1993, which was only 24 pages and printed on low-quality newsprint paper. In July 1994 we added the full-color cover, but it was still on newsprint paper. In February of 1996, the cover paper switched to glossy paper, and a few full-color ads were added inside. The beautiful full-color centerfold debuted in March 2001. It wasn’t until March 2006 that full-color ads were made available to everyone in the magazine, along with a few stories. Since July of 2007, the entire magazine has been full-color and printed on nice, glossy paper.
We have always tried to remain affordable, competitive and fair, and to give our advertisers a good value for their advertising dollar. We have also always tried to provide affordable smaller ads in places like the “Directory” for the companies that want to have a big presence but at a lower cost. But to survive, we need advertisers. People sometimes complain about all of the ads, but if it weren’t for those ads, this FREE magazine in your hands right now would have cost you five or six bucks, like most of the other quality publications out there. Each and every one of our advertisers is important, and we want your businesses to succeed so you can continue to advertise with us and help the magazine to grow. When you win, we win – it’s a good deal!
What started out as a fledgling Southern California advertiser has now grown into one of the premier trucking publications in the country, with distribution locations (racks) in over 20 states, and a huge international presence, both on the Internet and on Facebook. Who knows what is next! Thank you to everyone who has ever had an ad in 10-4 Magazine for being a part of helping us to keep growing and getting better, year after year, and decade after decade! If you would like information about how you can join our family of advertisers, call Erik at (714) 337-4104.
