COVER FEATURE - JANUARY 2003
His mother may have called him “Troublesome
John” but we certainly didn’t see any “trouble” the day we spent with T.J. and
Barb Niles. What we saw was a couple that truly love and respect each other
and who are dedicated to their profession. They have an inner peace and happiness
that you don’t see very often today. They also have a nice ride and many fun
toys, which include a Harley that they carry on the back of their truck and
a recently purchased “fixer-upper” boat which they are looking forward to having
fun on in the future.
Growing up in a family that owned restaurants, T.J. moved around quite a bit.
After graduating from high school, he had the opportunity to attend Spring Training
Camp for the Oakland Athletics baseball team. They offered him a AAA contract
but he turned it down. He wanted to go to the “show” or nothing. He had seen
too many guys rot in the minors, so in 1967 he joined the Army. A few years
later, T.J. was sent to Vietnam, where he proudly spent three years as a ground-pounder
in the Infantry. Upon his return in 1972, T.J. started trucking and never (well,
once) looked back.
Being an avid musician, T.J. took a short hiatus from trucking at one point
when he was hired to play drums for a country and old-time rock ‘n’ roll band
called “Blue Denim”. Barb and her then husband not only hired T.J. to play in
the band but also let him rent their basement. T.J. and Barb grew to be great
friends. When Barb’s marriage ended, the two got together and have been inseparable
ever since (for the last 18 years). The two consider each other to be their
“soul mates” and can’t imagine life with anyone else (except their dog Vern).
After marrying Barb and getting back into trucking, T.J. took a job that required
a team. By now, their kids (from other marriages) were old enough to take care
of themselves so Barb took a crash course in driving on a run from Oakland,
CA to Birmingham, AL. She then took and passed her driving test and then backed
under a load of dynamite for her first haul. Back in those days, some 17 years
ago, they ran for a company that hauled a lot of explosives like dynamite, torpedoes,
nitroglycerine, bombs and such. Many of their loads required T.J and Barb to
carry a shotgun in their truck and/or have a military escort. After two years
of hauling this type of freight, they moved on to “easier” things like machinery,
space shuttle parts and produce.
Ten years ago, hauling for Pre-Fab Transport out of Illinois, T.J. and Barb
began hauling aircraft parts for Boeing. Last year, they switched companies
but kept their load. Apparently, for some reason the account representative
that handled the Boeing loads left Pre-Fab and took not only the account but
18 trucks with him. T.J. and Barb didn’t like the situation but they loved their
load, so they followed it. Now, they are with Yellowstone Trucking out of Coeur
d’ Alene, ID and are happy they made the move. Their dedicated haul runs between
Long Beach, CA and Macon, GA, carrying parts for C-17 airplanes. Most often,
they haul well under 10,000 pounds of cargo. Aircraft parts, given their nature,
are extremely light. When they are required to haul a heavy load, most of the
weight is the metal boxes the parts are packed into (some of the boxes weigh
8,000 pounds). Their trip takes about 36-38 hours each way, and they don’t stop
for anything. Their truck is completely self-contained so they cook, eat, sleep,
shower and go to the bathroom while rolling down the road. They don’t even stop
to change drivers.
Their truck, a Dusty Rose colored 1997 Pete 379 they call “In the Misty Moonlight”,
is covered with murals and custom fabricated parts. The truck’s wheelbase was
stretched to 310 inches to accommodate a 110-inch Star Class custom sleeper.
This sleeper features a shower, toilet, stove, microwave, sink, refrigerator/freezer,
roof A/C, TV, VCR and a 7.0 Kubota diesel generator. The truck is powered by
a 550 Cat and has an 18-speed transmission hooked to 3.70 rears. To avoid scraping
driveways, T.J. went with tall 22.5 rubber. The couple took the truck to Magic
Touch Auto Body in Garden Grove, CA where owner Luis Sanchez hand-painted stunning
murals of Bald Eagles and beautiful scenery on the sides of the sleeper and
cab. The backdrop scenery on the driver’s side was mimicked after Eastern Montana
(in winter) and the passenger side was inspired by Devil’s Tower in New Mexico
and Bryce Canyon in Utah. T.J. had custom rear fender skirts made and then installed
them himself with contact cement. If they get ripped, he’s in trouble because
they ain’t comin’ off. The front fenders and frame rails are painted a darker
color called Hawaiian Orchid. But something was still missing.
T.J. had a simple desire - to bring his beloved 1999 Heritage Softail Classic motorcycle with him on the road - but he had trouble finding someone to help him. He went to three welders before finding one that was willing to build him a boom and winch to pick up his 800-pound bike and set it down on a rack behind his sleeper. The first two said they could build it but they didn’t want to (they were afraid of possible liabilities). Built by Preferred Welding in Unadilla, GA, the unit is basically a heavy duty “L” shaped rack, with a diamond plate platform and a boom mounted in one of the corners. The boom has a 4” outer pipe (1/2” thick) which is welded to the back and side of the rack and goes all the way down through the floor, where it is secured to the frame. Inside that tube is a 3-1/2” pipe that goes all the way down. The winch is operated by a button on the side of the rack. The completed rack, platform and boom were then painted Hawaiian Orchid to match the frame and front fenders.
A few months ago, T.J. and
Barb bought a “fixer-upper” boat that they are currently working on. The 32-foot
Luhrs cabin cruiser with a flying bridge was in pretty sad shape, but because
of that, they got an incredible deal. The boat has twin 318 Chrysler gasoline
motors and is docked in a small marina in Long Beach. Now the couple has a “floating”
home in Southern California to add to their “rolling” home and two other houses
they own in Illinois. Although they have a lot of property, they still say their
address is 379 Peterbilt Drive, Anywhere, USA. The couple looks forward to enjoying
many fun adventures on this boat when it is finished, which should be later
this year.
On a sadder note, over the last two years, Barb has lost her mother and father.
Having been very close to them, both T.J. and Barb miss them terribly. Married
for 54 years, Barb’s parents, LeRoy and Betty Bennett, set an excellent example
for Barb (and T.J.) to follow. These folks were more like T.J.’s parents than
his own mother and father, and it was apparent that both he and Barb had a deep
respect and love for them. But as one generation left this world, another entered
in to fill some of the hole left behind.
Just a few days before our photo shoot with T.J. and Barb, their second grandchild
was born and boy were they excited. They say parenting is better the second
time around (as grandparents) and both T.J. and Barb seemed to agree with that.
They love visiting their children and grandchildren but don’t get to do it enough.
They look forward to slowing down their work pace in the near future to allow
more time with their family, but can’t ever imagine retiring. They figure they’ll
just keep on truckin’ until they can’t do it anymore.
It’s hard to have a solid marriage when you live on the road - that’s why T.J.
went through a few wives before he found one he could take with him. Now, T.J.
has a partner for life whom he adores, and Barb has a real man for a husband.
Combine that with a strong faith in God and you have a solid relationship that
is built to last. T.J. and Barb are just honest people that want to be treated
that way too. So where’s all the trouble? I think T.J. got most of that out
of his system years ago. But... any grandpa that still rides a Harley probably
has a little “trouble” left in him somewhere - so watch out!
