I love to reminisce. I love looking at pictures and telling stories of the memories I have from my youth. Most of my greatest memories involve my time in the truck with dad, and also some great stories of trucking with my mom from time to time, as well. Being born in the late 70’s and growing up in the 80’s and 90’s has offered me the influence of the rigs from what could be argued as the coolest generations of trucks ever. I remember truck stops being unique havens, and the fancy rigs were the ones with as many accessories as the owner could cram onto them. LED lights were just hitting the market, but they were horribly expensive. Most trucks were lit up like Christmas trees, requiring dual alternators to handle the amount of energy required to power so many incandescent bulbs. “Noise toys” were popular on the CB, and dad’s was no exception (I still own and use the Cobra 148 that my dad had in the early 90’s). It makes me laugh to hear all the funny noises that thing makes. In 1993, my dad took possession of a brand new ‘94 model 377 Peterbilt painted Corvette yellow and covered with chrome. This rig featured Peterbilt’s new Unibilt sleeper and cab design – Dad was thrilled to have so much leg room and a wider entry into the bunk. I fondly recall how it felt to be in that new truck, shining in the sun, sitting comfortably inside as we rolled through the hot American southwest. I may be rambling
a bit, but its memories like these that occupy my mind as I roll down the road. This month, as 10-4 Magazine celebrates 20 years of covering the coolest rigs and the latest trends in trucking, all while embracing and appreciating the way trucking was, I would like to submit a poem about my thoughts of where I was 20 years ago and how the industry looked to me back then. I picked up my first copy of 10-4 in a café at the Truck Town truck stop on Cherry Ave. in Fontana, CA (they still have a rack there today) in the late fall of 1993. I remember enjoying a patty melt and an iced tea with my dad as we thumbed through the pages – I also remember dad going constantly to the pay-phone to check-in with dispatch in hopes of getting a load out of town. That was a few years before a cell phone ever entered the cab of dad’s truck. Back then, pre-paid calling cards and collect calls were dad’s way of staying in touch with home. Anyway, as I was pondering the last 20 years, a Kenny Rogers song, called Twenty Years Ago, came to mind, so I wrote this poem to resemble the rhythm of that song, in my own words. Congratulations and “thank you” to 10-4 Magazine for the 20 years of great coverage – and “thank you” to all of the contributors and advertisers who have been a part of the “10-4 family” for so long – I am proud to be a part of it today!
20 YEARS AGO
By Trevor Hardwick
It’s been a long time, since I’ve stopped and settled down,
Seems like I’m always on the go.
I wonder what happened to the places I recall,
Or the rigs I’d see, that would roll this road… 20 years ago.
I was in high school back in 1993,
Dad was alive and well, you know.
I recall echo-boards and narrow Thermo Kings,
You’d be surprised at the diesel price… 20 years ago.
All my memories of those days sometimes confound me,
And I love when I can go there in my mind.
Oh, it almost seems like yesterday, where do the good times go?
Trucking was so much easier… 20 years ago.
Truck stops were truck stops, they weren’t called travel stores,
And “Cats” were the big dogs on the road.
A 96-wide was still a trailer you could pull,
Marmons were built, out in Texas still… 20 years ago.
I can remember my first 10-4 Magazine,
It was Fontana in the fall.
I was with my old man on Cherry Avenue,
Lookin’ at trucks and pictures and such… 20 years ago.
All my memories of those days sometimes confound me,
And I miss when I could split my sleeper time.
Well, it almost seems like yesterday, where did Burns Bros. go?
Trucking was so much easier… 20 years ago.
Flashy trucks wore a ton of lights and color tones,
Cell phones were not in every ear.
Letters on tires were white and everything else was chrome,
There were pantyhose, down at Aladero’s… 20 years ago.
Manual fuel pumps still adorned the greatest rigs,
ULSD was never known.
NAFTA was signed into a law by Mr. Bill,
But I was a teen, simply living the dream… 20 years ago.
All my memories of those days sometimes confound me,
How I wish I could turn back the hands of time.
Well, it almost seems like yesterday, where will tomorrow go?
Trucking was so much easier… 20 years ago.