COVER FEATURE - DECEMBER 2003
“Choose the Right” is more than just a catch-phrase for John Testa – it’s a statement of faith, a way of life and the basis for the name of his trucking company. In and out of trucking and construction all of his life, John, for the moment, has settled in on running a small but growing operation, centered around transfer units, which he calls CTR Trucking. Based in Manteca, California, John recently built a sharp Pete 379 Transfer that is making a name for itself at truck shows, as well as on the road.
Life is all about choices. You can choose what is right, or you can choose what is wrong. Right choices lead to happiness, while wrong ones will lead to unhappiness. By prioritizing what’s important and making decisions based on those priorities, John has made “right” decisions and found himself at a point in his life where his family is stable, his faith is solid, his health is good (he’s lost 65 pounds), and his company is growing and prosperous.
CTR Trucking was formed (officially) in 1998 but it actually began in 1994. John owned a general contracting company that had a few dump trucks. When his company wasn’t using the equipment, he found other work for them through brokers. It made sense to separate this part of his operation into its own division. By 1998, John was not only operating his general contracting business, but also a company that built swimming pools, a pool supply store and the dump truck operation. He found himself stressed out and struggling – it was just too much. One of John’s customers told him that if he bought a transfer he could keep him busy every day. So that is what he did. He sold or shut down all of his companies, bought an old transfer, and stripped down to a lean and mean operation – one truck and himself. But this truck was no show truck – not by any stretch.
The truck was a 1979 Mack SuperLiner that featured a set of 1973 Transport boxes and a 1967 Superior trailer. This classic truck was a far cry from the beauty he drives today, but it was a good place to start. In early 2002, John decided it was time to step up his ride and ordered the cool Pete seen on the cover this month. We first saw the truck at the Cherokee Truck Show in Stockton, CA in 2002. John introduced himself and showed us his truck. We saw him again in Stockton the following year and it was looking even better. Then, last August, he showed up at a show in Reno and was a real stand-out. At that event, he took home a 1st Place in the Lights class and a 4th in the overall Combination class. That’s when we began to seriously look at this rig and made the decision to feature it on our cover.
Fast forward to a crisp autumn morning in early November. After a hearty breakfast with John and his son-in-law/driver TJ at a coffee shop in Manteca, we headed east on Hwy. 120 toward Table Mountain – site of a neat rock quarry and asphalt plant owned and operated by George Reed, Inc., in hopes of capturing the “perfect shot” of John’s truck. After a short safety orientation, Safety Coordinator Darrell Lutz escorted us into the fifty-year-old quarry and showed us around. After a few delays waiting for explosives experts to set off some charges within the quarry, we got started. Moving from location to location, we spent the entire day at this site, which specializes in excavating black, lava-based rock used for asphalt, road sealer and decorative purposes. We’d like to thank the folks at George Reed, Inc. for treating us so well and giving us access to their site. This is just one of the many sites operated by George Reed, Inc., a family operation that’s been around since 1937.
John’s truck is a 2002 Pete 379 featuring a complete transfer package from Rogue Truck Body in Kirby, Oregon. John took the time to get to know Rogue’s owner Keith Hill and was very impressed with both him and his product. The truck’s cab and hood are painted Black Cherry, while the fenders and 14-foot long transfer boxes are Electric Red. The truck and trailer’s frame is painted black. John knew he’d be working in harsh, oily environments and figured this paint scheme would be easier to keep clean. The rig’s power is supplied by a Cat C-15 engine, an 18-speed transmission and 3.70 rears. The Rogue boxes are constructed of super durable SB50 Swedish steel. The boxes also feature perfectly polished aluminum gates, prompting John to get a personalized license plate that reads “SHNY HNY” referring to the truck’s mirror-like rear-end. Other shiny things on John’s rig include stainless steel quarter fenders on the truck and trailer, a stainless light bar, emblem and door lock accents, nut covers on everything, a visor and dual stacks with polished heat shields.
Besides the unique color combination, what really stands out on this unit is its amazing cleanliness and lights. John and TJ spent three days getting the truck ready. In fact, the two of them stayed up all night cleaning the night before we got together. TJ spent eight hours polishing just one of the two gates in preparation for the photo shoot! And all that work really showed. The truck’s lights were tastefully placed to provide the most impact and not look too gaudy. Back in his construction days, one of John’s specialties was indirect lighting – a skill that came in handy when designing his lighting scheme. John’s light display was so spectacular in Reno that he was approached by Maxxima and offered a light sponsorship (which he promptly accepted). Most of the lights are LEDs and many of them have chrome bezels and bases. As good as this thing looks in the day, it looks even better at night.
Inside the cab you’ll find a nice American Class interior extenuated with a complete Rockwood dash package, rosewood armrests and door panel strips, extra lights, and other assorted goodies. But, like the exterior, the level of clean bordered on perfection. Under the hood, John hasn’t touched the engine, afraid he might nullify the remaining warranty, but it is well-maintained and, you guessed it, super clean! TJ made the comment that anyone can have a nice truck, but to really keep it looking great (clean), you have to have “the disease” both he and John has – the disease of being addicted to cleaning and always wanting their ride to look good. Often, after a long day working, you can find TJ and John out in the yard, as the sun is going down, trying to clean the day’s dust and grime off their trucks.
After John bought the new Pete, he tried to sell the old Mack but nobody wanted to buy it. This, as he put it, forced his hand to rebuild the truck from the ground up. After getting the Detroit 8V92 powertrain in order, he sent the truck to Rogue for a new transfer unit. Painted to match the Pete, the Mack was completely updated from the cab back, including switching over the suspension to a Pete air-ride system. John recently purchased a third truck, a 1975 Pete, which is in the process of being readied for the road. In fact, John bought this truck for TJ to eventually drive, but after a series of mishaps with the Mack, TJ ended up being assigned to drive the SuperLiner – and he loves it.
John grew up near Monterey, California, in a small town called Carmel Valley. His mother had John at an early age and couldn’t quite handle it, so John’s grandparents officially adopted him when he was a baby. John never knew his biological father but a search is now being done so that John can more understand his heritage. Growing up, his parents and grandparents were the same people! I bet he got tired of trying to explain that one.
After graduating from the local high school as the Valedictorian, John headed to a junior college in Monterey where he earned his certification as a mechanic through their auto technology program. He then got a job turning wrenches at a local car rental company. Over the next few years, he alternated between being a mechanic and doing construction, until he blew his knee out. After two surgeries and two years of recovery, his knee was fine, but he didn’t want to be a mechanic anymore. He went full-time into the construction business and, until a building moratorium put a stop to any new work, was doing great. At this time, around 1990, he left his hometown and moved to the Manteca area and continued working his construction business until he closed it down in 1998 (when he went full-time into trucking).
In the summer of 1992, John was hired by a woman to build a deck in her backyard. The job was pretty large, so John spent a good part of the summer working on it – but he didn’t mind, because it meant that he got to spend more time with the homeowner – a recently divorced woman named Jana who had five kids – and John’s attention. By February of the next year, the two were married. Last February the happy couple celebrated their 10th anniversary by going on a cruise. John loves the children like they are his own, and never had any problems “fitting in” with the family. The kids are grown now, and both John and his wife are enjoying spoiling their eight grandchildren.
John and his wife are active members in their church. Jana was raised as a Mormon in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and, after they got married, John joined the church as well. What drew him to it (besides his wife) was the importance that the church put on family. John has always believed in having a strong family unit, and the LDS faith earnestly promotes that lifestyle. “Choose the Right” (usually seen abbreviated simply CTR) is a catch-phrase the church adopted to remind its members, and others, to always do what is right. Printed on bumper stickers, neckties, rings and other things, CTR signifies what John is all about, so it just seemed fitting to name his company CTR Trucking. John has also served as the missionary leader of his church for many years and loves the good works he gets to perform through this calling.
Next year John hopes to attend a few more truck shows if he can carve out the time. During the busy season (May through December) it can be hard to shut down and go to a show, but he plans on trying to hit as many as he can on the West Coast. He’s also looking to see some growth in his business and hopefully add a few more trucks to his small fleet. John wanted to send out special thanks to everyone at Rogue for treating him like family, his wife for putting up with him, and to his son-in-law TJ who worked his butt off helping to get the truck ready. Our hats go off to both John and TJ for the incredible cleanup job they did – that rig sparkled!
If you happen to see John out there on the road, smile and say “hello” (he won’t bite). John hopes that his truck is more than just a testimony to his success, but that it also gives hope to the truckers out there that are struggling and wondering if it’s all worth it. He didn’t build this truck for personal glory, but instead to celebrate trucks and trucking. It’s going to take a lot of effort by everyone involved in the industry to improve the image of trucks and truckers – and John hopes his trucks do their small part.
Anxiously waiting for the
slower season ahead, John looks forward to spending time with his family, doing
more work on his trucks, and maybe even getting to take a vacation with his
wife (how dare he). His company, his trucks and his livelihood are important
but his family always comes first. They say success is first measured at home,
and John always tries to remember that. But when he momentarily forgets or gets
side-tracked with petty and trivial things (life), all he needs to do is take
one glance at the logo on his truck’s door and everything comes back into focus.
CTR is more than just a name or phrase for John Testa – it’s a way of life.