From highways to back-roads and everything in between, Dennis Mitchell has seen plenty through the windshield of a Peterbilt, and since July 2018, he has brought our readers “The Veteran’s View” perspective of life in trucking. Dennis grew up on a farm and learned to drive everything farm related at an early age. Forever proud of his time, Dennis was an active-duty marine from 1975-1981, and then he started trucking two weeks after getting home. He didn’t go to school to learn how to be a mechanic, he learned in his back yard, out of necessity, to be able to work on his older trucks himself. Something most don’t know is that Dennis spent about six years studying business, religion, and marketing at Sienna Heights College, all the while working for a construction company during the week and driving on the weekends for a local family farm. At 67 years old, along with his wife Barb, they have been married for just over 45 years, and together they own D.D. Mitchell Enterprises LTD out of Blissfield, MI. Having a supportive spouse in this business isn’t just appreciated but is also a necessity. Dennis said he couldn’t function without her, and they work together almost as one instead of two separate people. Barb wasn’t just the caretaker on the home front, she also stepped right in to help with wrenching, and even drove team with Dennis for a few years. Together, they have their son Steve who now resides in Arizona and works for Pickett Custom Trucks. They may have only had one biological son, but many “kids” have come into and through their lives – and they were taught the same as Steve about bikes, motorcycles, four-wheelers, and big trucks. Running his 2000 Peterbilt 379 powered by a Caterpillar 6NZ, he enjoys running regional with occasional OTR runs. His newest truck is 24 years old, while his oldest truck is 50 years old. Windshield time gives him inspiration for his monthly contributions to our beloved magazine. Like myself, being in the Midwest, Dennis feels like time together with the 10-4 family is limited since everyone is all over the country and the “headquarters” are in California. For the past six years, he has continued to bring our readers a realistic understanding of life in trucking to avoid the potential pitfalls one has or could experience. Dennis stated that 10-4 Magazine is a nice organization to be a part of, and he hopes readers are taking in his words and finding the information useful. He said he has seen enough mistakes made on the road by people who just don’t know any better and wanted to do his part in helping any way that he can for an industry he is proud to be a part of. Dennis speaks of the experiences he’s had and the wisdom he has gained from the successes, as well as the mistakes, and after all these years of driving a truck, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Thank you, Dennis, for sharing your “view” every month – we love having you in our 10-4 family!
