10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

KID'S PAGE - APRIL 2004

WESTERNERS
Story & Photo By 12 Year Old “Kid” Troy Miller

Alright, alright. I know what you’re thinking when you hear Westerners: a couple of old cowboys sitting in a saloon. Well, that’s not what I’m talking about here. This month I have compiled five short interviews with true “Westerners.” All of these folks are from Colorado and affiliated with Western Distributing Transportation in Denver.

First, Sterling is an avid truck fan, and, like me, thank God, is a truck nut. For once I’ve found someone to talk to about trucks who can keep up that’s my age! Sterling just turned 12 last month, and his dad, Rick Walker, is the trucker in the family. Rick is the lucky driver of the 1953 Peterbilt 351A that Western Distributing Transportation Corp. (WDTC) owns. Though it appears at truck shows, it is also a working truck. Sterling, when it comes to trucks, not only knows a lot but has his preferences for what he would want if he were an over the road trucker. If he ran long haul, he would want a Kenworth W900 with an Aerodyne Studio sleeper, but for in town hauls, he would want a Peterbilt 379, obviously with an extended hood. Sterling enjoys drawing trucks and building models of trucks, too. The coolest thing I learned about Sterling is that, along with his brothers Weston and Grant, they have a neat clubhouse/fort in their backyard at home which their dad made for them out of two real sleepers! Sterling also told me that his family owns a 1962 KW with a 13-speed tranny.

Grant is the middle brother in the Walker family. He, like his older brother, loves trucks. At 7 years old, he still has some time before he can drive a truck or car, but it will all come in time. And, obviously, his father is the driver in the family. Also, like his older brother, Grant enjoys drawing trucks in his spare time. He also likes to shoot hornets at his brothers, but it’s not like they don’t do it back to him. His favorite truck is WDTC’s truck number 612, though I wasn’t able to find the specifics of the truck (not even the make). Grant is also an avid truck enthusiast, liking trucks just as much as his older brother.

Weston, the youngest of the Walker family at only 4, still has a long way to go ‘til he can drive anything. Weston likes trucks, like just about everybody else in his family, and when he was asked what his hobbies were, he simply answered us with playing. But hey, anything’s better than nothing. His favorite truck is his dad’s truck; after that he didn’t have much more information.

Next up, I talked to dad. Rick Walker is a great trucker to meet. Rick is open to you and if you need some help, he’ll help you. Rick has been lucky enough to drive WDTC’s 1953 Pete everywhere. At the time of the interview, Rick had just returned from a trip back east, so, due to all the salt on the roads, parts of the truck were still a little dirty. But the rest of that truck was absolutely beautiful. With that fairly new “water” paint job and mermaid mural on the back of the sleeper, it, at least in my opinion, is, or should be, unbeatable at the shows.

Rick has not only driven that beautiful 1953 Peterbilt, but he’s also driven the cool rigs for Western Motorsports. Viery Gaines (better known as “V” Gaines), not only owns WDTC but is a prominent Pro Stock drag racer on the NHRA circuit. While still running a multimillion dollar conglomerate (WDTC’s parent company), “V” still tries to squeeze in at least 25 races a year. The tractor/trailer they haul the car to all the races in is awesome, and Rick enjoys driving it from time to time. But the old Pete is still his favorite.

Last, but not least, I spoke to Dino Guadagni. Dino runs WDTC and takes care of the fleet, including the show trucks. Dino is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He was very open to the idea of me coming down to the yard, taking pictures, and interviewing the Walkers. Unlike most “big shots,” Dino had a great personality and was willing to help out in any way. Dino also allowed me to see their current work in progress. He’s been building an incredible 1954 Kenworth for a long time now, hoping to have it ready for the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY. With a unique “raging inferno” paint job running from the bottom up, the rig actually looks like it’s on fire. Dino’s name is hidden in the flames on the side of the right fuel tank and an obscured silhouette of the truck can be found within the flames on the left rear fender. But I’ll stop telling you about the great stuff on this truck, as it will surely be a cover truck on 10-4 in the near future.

I would like to give many thanks to Dino Guadagni and Bill Finkel for allowing me to come down to WDTC, and to Rick, Sterling, Grant and Weston Walker for all coming out and letting me talk to them. If you are a kid that loves trucks and would like to be featured in 10-4 Magazine, please contact me by e-mail at troytrucker@comcast.net or call (303) 980-5702. Or you can directly contact the editor, Daniel Linss, at editor@tenfourmagazine.com or call him at (714) 378-9990. If you want to mail pictures or drawings, send them to 10-4 Magazine, PO Box 7377, Huntington Beach, CA 92615. We hope to hear from more of you soon - we can’t wait to publish YOUR story!