TEN FOUR MAGAZINE - TRUCKING ON-LINE MAGAZINE FOR TRUCKERS

OCTOBER 2003 SHOW & TELL
"JUST A WORKING TRUCK"
By Roving Reporter Suzanne Stempinski

The trucks that participate in working truck shows look great. They’re clean, shiny and amazingly detailed. Many of them appear almost too good to be true. How can the owners and drivers of these gleaming machines even think about running up and down the road in all kinds of weather, getting dirty, covered in grime or snow or running through the damaging chemicals put on the roads to combat snow and ice? How do they do it? I can’t count how often I’ve heard from other drivers, “I couldn’t compete with my truck – it’s just a working truck.” Well, guess what? They’re almost all “just working trucks” – it’s just that their owners or drivers take a little extra pride in what they do. They don’t sit around wishing for something better or different. They get off their rump roasts and make it happen.

Darian Stephens has one of the most recognizable show trucks on the road (see photo). His 1995 Freightliner Classic has run well over 1,000,000 miles. And yet his paint gleams in checkerboard squares, his aluminum is polished to an incredible shine and even when you get up close and personal – his truck looks pretty close to perfect. How does he do it? Every time he stops, he grabs a rag or some polish or a bottle of cleaner or a vacuum or something – and as a result – his truck looks outstanding all the time. And he didn’t start out with a bunch of sponsors, either. Everything he’s achieved has been hard-earned.

Rod & Kim Grimm (your new Trucker Talk columnists) drive a 1999 Kenworth W900L. Running team, they average more than 225,000 miles per year between Wisconsin and California, on the road in all kinds of weather conditions. And yet, when they go to a truck show, their truck looks awesome – and it doesn’t take them two weeks to get their truck looking good. They get compliments every day as they run up and down the road. How does that happen? Regular attention to detail whenever they stop. You might find Kim lettering tires while waiting to load or unload, while Rod might be polishing the aluminum.

These folks, and many others, whose trucks show up in books, magazines and on trading cards, have a few things in common. They work hard, they’re proud of what they do for a living, and they strive to present a positive image of the trucking industry. They might have fallen into truck showing by happenstance – people told them they had a really nice truck and they decided to go to a show and take a chance. Or by design – a former car show enthusiast decides to take on a bigger challenge.

It starts with curiosity, becomes a hobby, which becomes a passion, maybe even an obsession. It leads to meeting wonderful people who have those interests in common and to better treatment by shippers and receivers, who empty out offices to admire good-looking equipment. It leads to less hassle from police and DOT – they’re more likely to pull in shabby, ill-cared-for equipment. It results in improved maintenance and fewer unexpected break-downs. After all, if you’re spending extra time looking at your truck from all angles (including upside down and underneath), you’re more likely to find parts as they begin to show signs of wear, rather than finding out the hard way.

In this new column (Show & Tell), we’re going to start looking at things you can do to your truck – from the simple and inexpensive to the wild and over-the-top. Whether you’re an owner operator or a company driver, there are things you can do to keep your truck looking its best – or maybe even better. Of course it all begins with keeping your truck clean. If your truck stays dirty, all the chrome and stainless and special doo-dads are just a waste of time and money. We’ll look at floors – how to install a wood floor, a stainless steel floor, even ceramic tile – including how much money you might spend - from inexpensive to something truly custom. We’ll look at visors and bumpers, lights and things you can do to your dash. We’ll talk about polish, paint and graphics, wire loom and more. If there’s something in particular that you want to know more about or a topic you’d like to see covered, just let me know! Contact me through the magazine by calling 1-888-440-4104 or via e-mail at 10-4@tenfourmagazine.com (see page 6 for even more ways to contact me through the office).

There’s nothing wrong with having “just a working truck,” but there’s no reason not to keep your working truck looking tall. So stay tuned – this is just the beginning of what should be a fun and informative series of articles you won't want to miss.