The 10-4 family and trucking industry are dealing with yet another loss as we mourn the death of Weston Pounds (30) of Bakersfield, CA. Weston was the son of Mark and Susan Pounds. Mark is our friend and co-owner, along with his brother Keith, of Central Valley Transport – an ag-hauling operation that has been around since the 1940s. Mark and Keith’s CVT trucks were featured on our August 2005 cover, and we have been friends with them and their kids ever since. Death is sad enough, but when it is a young person, it is even harder to deal with.
Born on February 26, 1990 in Bakersfield, CA, Weston was actually named Mark Weston Pounds. Since there were numerous “Marks” in the family, he always went by his middle name, Weston. In fact, he didn’t even know his name was Mark until he started going to school! The name Weston was a combination of Mark’s (Sr.) grandmother and mother’s maiden names – West and Newton. Weston also went by the occasional nickname of “Slick” from his dad and “Mr. Flannel Man” from his schoolmates when he was young (this was because Weston always wore a flannel button-up over a t-shirt, just like his dad).
Attending Foothill High School in Bakersfield, Weston was very active in wrestling and Future Farmers of America (FFA). Participating in FFA’s Parliamentary Procedure Contest, a competition where teams of students utilize their public speaking abilities, debate skills, knowledge of parliamentary procedures and understanding of the organization, Weston and his team were the National Champions in 2007. That is a huge, since just about every high school in America (thousands of them) has an FFA department.
Growing up, Weston spent much of his free time at the truck yard of his family’s trucking business. Weston loved attending truck shows with his dad, brother, uncle and cousins. He also liked going on hikes, camping, and bicycle outings with his grandparents. Weston always enjoyed summer vacations with the family, which were typically spent at places like Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone, Lake Eufaula, and other nearby locations, but he also took some memorable trips to Switzerland and Italy, as well.
After graduating in 2008, Weston joined the family trucking business. Not driving at first but instead working in the fields, running a tractor, loading and moving trailers, he eventually got his CDL in 2010 and started driving. His dad never pushed him to become a driver, and Weston had mixed emotions about getting started, but once he began, he realized how much he loved it, saying to his dad, “I feel at-one with my truck when I am driving.” He truly loved trucking.
Marrying the love of his life, Jackie McCay, in 2014, together they built a life centered around their children, Wyatt (5) and Adeline (3). Weston was a great husband and an amazing father. Weston’s younger brother Colton and his wife Chelsea were the first to have kids, and Weston immediately bonded with their son Benjamin (8). The two were inseparable. Later, Colton and Chelsea had a daughter, Brooklynn (6). Working together in a family business is not always easy, but Weston enjoyed it and had a special bond with his brother Colton and cousin Markie.
Starting in a Freightliner FLD painted in the signature CVT colors (a rose-colored purple with black fenders), Weston mostly pulled double bottom dumps filled with various ag products. Later, he graduated to a Freightliner Classic with a small sleeper (Truck #70) and drove that for many years. His last year of trucking was done in a daycab Freightliner Classic painted Cherry red, but he had a bad wreck in October 2019 and that truck was completely destroyed. After the wreck, the truck caught on fire and burned to the ground. Weston did not remember how he got out, but evidence shows he kicked the passenger door open, with his bare feet, breaking the latch and leaving the door bent at 45 degrees.
After the accident, Weston stopped driving. Having been diagnosed with diabetes when he was 21 years old, he struggled to stay healthy, but in the end that is what took his life on March 24, 2020. Unsuccessfully dealing with elevated sugar levels, he went into diabetic shock and never woke up. Spending his final few days in the Intensive Care Unit at Kern Medical, the family wishes to express their thanks for the care and expertise of the staff in his final days, as well as Yolanda Plaza, David Bunting, Don Phillips and Steve Nichols for their bedside prayers.
The family was forced to have a small but intimate service on April 17, due to the COVID-19 crisis, at Greenlawn Cemetery in Bakersfield, where Weston’s remains were interned. He will be remembered as a kid with a big heart and a gentle spirit, and greatly missed. Weston’s father Mark wanted to thank everyone for their calls and support through this difficult time but wishes it didn’t take a tragedy to bring people together. There is a lesson to be learned – tell those you love that you love them often and keep in touch with the important people in your life, because no one knows when their time here will end.
Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to all of Weston’s family and friends – those related by blood and those by truck. Know that you are in our hearts, and that we (your 10-4 family) and the entire trucking community are here to help you get through this. Please do not hesitate to reach out! God Bless the Pounds family and may Weston rest in peace.
