10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

COVER FEATURE - DECEMBER 2004

SOULMATES
RAY & KAREN PIERCE’S EPIC TALE OF
SURVIVAL, LOVE AND TRUCKING

By Daniel J. Linss - Editor

Some people just draw others to them. There is something special in these people that makes it easy to love them. In the case of Ray & Karen Pierce, owner operators based out of St. Augustine, Florida (leased on with Landstar Inway), their mix of Southern charm, brutal yet sweet honesty, pure and simple faith, and genuine love for people renders you helplessly happy when in their presence. After a life of ups and downs, both consider themselves blessed to be with their intended life partner – so much so that they named their incredible Pete “Soulmates” to share that obvious fact with the world.

Ray Pierce, known for most of his life as simply “Pierce”, was born and raised in North Carolina in a trucking family. His father, uncle and most of his cousins were all lifelong truckers. Ray’s parents divorced when he was young and his mother dropped out of the picture. His father struggled to keep the family together, but all he knew was trucking. It’s hard to raise a family while running a truck. Ray ended up in a Boy’s Home in North Carolina, where he lived from about the age of nine years old until he was sixteen. Anytime his father was in town, he came to visit and stayed in Ray’s life as much as he could. But most of Ray’s mentorship came from the counselors at the Boy’s Home. These caring men were very proud of their misfit bunch of boys and taught them the value of independence, ambition and self-sufficiency – traits that Ray has used throughout his life to try new things and succeed.

Driving came natural to Ray Pierce. He can remember sitting on his dad’s lap, at a very early age, piloting his father’s rig down the road. At fifteen years old, Ray was taking over the driver’s seat late at night so his father could rest. In high school, Ray focused on subjects like welding and mechanics. He always loved to build things. After graduating, he successfully completed programs in welding and diesel mechanics and obtained his pilot’s license. He trucked for a few years, hauling tobacco and other freight, and then got the opportunity to move to the West Indies (Haiti) to become a tobacco grower. After a couple of years, he realized that the climate wasn’t suitable for curing the tobacco so he moved back to the States and began trucking again.

After trucking for awhile and struggling, Ray’s old truck blew up and he couldn’t afford to fix it, so he went to work at a construction company running heavy equipment and doing iron work. His work ethic and ambition created an opportunity for him to travel overseas for this company and work on building projects in St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands), Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Through his travels, he fell in love with sailing and added it to his list of favorite things to do (which also included flying and driving). Once again, he came home and went back to trucking.

Shortly after his return to trucking, Ray landed a very lucrative contract with a company that manufactured air compressors. Success soon followed and Ray found himself with a profitable small company comprised of eight trucks as well as several leased-on owner operators. Herb Ligon approached Ray to buy him out but Ray said that he wasn’t for sale. So Herb rethought the deal and offered Ray the ability to keep his trucks and take a hefty salary in a high position with the company. Ray accepted the offer and worked with Ligon Specialized Haulers until 1982. But then his life took a sharp turn.

Ray was happily married for thirteen years until January 20, 1982 at 9:40 AM when his wife told him that she was leaving. Ray was devastated. He literally wandered through the darkness, not working, for six years. He spent some time in California and Mexico and then ended up back in North Carolina. Throughout this ordeal, he stumbled through a spiritual awakening that brought him much healing and recovery. Ray got involved with a church near his hometown and, through one of their ministries, found himself hosting a television program devoted to helping people cope with divorce. He did this for about a year and then, as usual, went back into trucking.

Working for a small company in North Carolina as a dispatcher and salesman, he began to rebuild his broken life. Calling one of his customers on a regular basis, he began to develop a friendship with the girl who always answered their phone. Her name was Karen, and Ray admits to being worried at what she might look like if and when they ever met. In fact, the guys at his office had a pool going as to how ugly she might be. The day came for them to meet and when Ray turned to see her he literally fell out of his chair. “She looked like an angel,” said Ray. After getting approval from his beloved Labrador Retriever Meagan, the two were married on September 9, 1990 at sunrise in Carolina Beach on a sand dune overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Karen assumed many roles in Ray’s life including the mother he never had, sister, best friend, wife and business partner. Karen was a simple girl who had grown up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina and had went through a bad divorce as well. She had never traveled more than 40 miles from her home and her life, day to day, was very predictable. But marrying Ray put an end to all that mundane living – now she was swept up in his whirlwind of change and unpredictability – and, frankly, she liked it. Together, they now had five children – Ray had three and Karen had two, but that number would later change. Shortly after their wedding, Ray went back to trucking.

One day, while working on their boat near their home (actually they were preparing to sail around the world together), they saw a strange sight that, once again, would detour their life onto a new road – a wagon train. Upon further investigation, they realized that this was an outreach program designed to help at-risk kids called VisionQuest. This organization’s aim is to straighten out juvenile offenders through programs centered on outdoor and wilderness challenges. It turned out that VisionQuest was having transportation problems with the big rigs that escorted the wagon trains and provided food for the animals and kids, and other necessities along the way. Ray was hired to be their Transportation Director and Karen became a cook, and off on the wagon train they went. They got very involved with the kids, and really enjoyed their work.

Ray and Karen really believed they were making a difference, but there was one problem: there was no support-structure for these kids after they completed the program. Many kids, upon going home, slipped right back to their old ways. Ray and Karen had a small farm at the time and decided to convert it into a sort of halfway house for troubled kids. They resigned from VisionQuest after two years and went off to start yet another exciting venture with the help of their friend and fellow VisionQuest worker Jim Kennedy.

Everybody told them that they were crazy for taking these dangerous children into their home, but Ray and Karen believed that all these kids needed was unconditional love and a place to call home – even after they left the farm. Over a period of four years, they housed some 97 kids on their farm – three of which later adopted Ray and Karen as their parents, bringing the Pierce’s total number of children to eight. But after some harsh (and false) allegations were made by one of the other kids, the program was shut down. Ray and Karen spent everything they had building, maintaining, and eventually defending this non-profit organization. Unfortunately, they were left with sad hearts and empty bank accounts. So guess what? Ray decided to go back to what he knew best – trucking! Only this time, Karen wanted to join him.

They sold their last asset (the farm), paid off all their debts, and bought a new truck and trailer. Their goal was to live in the rig and truck hard for five years, recover (financially) from the mess that was created and then return home to buy another house. They bought a new 2000 Peterbilt with a 278-inch wheelbase, a 70-inch sleeper, an industrial/marine Caterpillar engine set at 735 horsepower, and an 18-speed transmission. Liking the nostalgic look of 1950’s Peterbilts, Ray replaced the factory headlights with can lights and added a second set underneath those. He also installed a louvered grille, 8-inch stacks, fiberglass WTI full fenders in the rear, moved his blinkers to the top of the front fenders and added a bow-tie visor. He also changed out the rear tires to Super Singles and put heavy duty rubber in the front. Karen was so excited to see the country, but things got a little “cozy” living in the truck. They wanted to get a larger custom sleeper but didn’t want to pay the $100,000 price tag that came with one. So they improvised, worked hard and made due.

The first thing they did was stretch the truck out to a 336-inch wheelbase. They ran the truck like this (with the 70-inch sleeper) for about a year, until they came across a wrecked Mac Tools truck that had a good van body. Robert’s Truck Service in North Carolina sold them the box, painted it, and then mounted it on their truck. They now had a huge 187-inch long, 101-inch wide, and 9-foot high empty box for a sleeper. They slept on the floor for a few months until they saved up enough money to start working on the interior. First, they insulated the walls and put up paneling. A few months later, Ray’s brother installed wood cabinets and granite countertops. They also added a full-size refrigerator/freezer and microwave, as well as a futon couch/bed. Robert’s Truck Service helped them wire the truck and install a 7.5 kilowatt diesel Kubota generator to power everything inside. Later they cut holes in the box and added sliding windows, as well as a roof-mounted air-conditioner and heater. Entertainment features like a DVD player, CD player, XM satellite radio, and a self-tracking satellite television system were also added.

And what over-the-road truck with a big sleeper would be complete without a dog or two? Ray and Karen would never dream of going anywhere without their beloved little Rat Terriers. “Skeeter” (12) is black and white and “Baby” (8) is brown and white. These little ladies rule the roost and protect the truck from any uninvited guests. Well, maybe!

Now that their five-year plan deadline has expired, some of Ray and Karen’s five grandchildren recently sat them down and reminded them, “You promised to be back in five years.” The couple responded by quickly beginning to look for a home back in North Carolina. Ray and Karen are excited to put down their roots again and have a place to spend quality time with their family. But more than anything else, they love to spend time with each other. They truly feel that they have each found their soul mate and can’t imagine life without the other. They spend every moment together and that is just the way they like it. In fact, they named the truck “Soulmates” to remind themselves how fortunate and blessed they are to have each other’s unconditional love.

At one point in Karen’s life, everything was predictable – now nothing is. Routines can be comforting, but they can also suffocate your enthusiasm. She is so excited to wake up every day and wonder who she will meet and what she will see, always hoping and praying that she’ll be a positive influence to whom ever she encounters. Ray is just happy to be with his wife and have a good reputation. For him, nothing is more important than leaving behind a good name, a good word and happy memories. Pulling a step-deck trailer with a spread axle, Ray and Karen (with special security clearances) primarily haul “sensitive” government loads throughout the 48 states for the armed forces. We could tell you more, but then we’d have to kill you! Enough said.

With a lump of chewing tobacco in his cheek and a smile on his face, Ray admits that he is a lucky man. “If you wake up every day happy and healthy, have a wonderful family and friends and know that you are loved, you are a success, no matter what your financial status,” said Ray. And after 35 years of ups and downs, he ought to know. Their truck has given them the opportunity to make many new friends, but when it’s all said and done, its the love that these “Soulmates” emit that keeps people around – not their beautiful truck.

Our thanks go out to Ray and Karen Pierce for allowing 10-4 to be a small part of their incredible journey through life. If anyone out there sees them on the road and needs a word of encouragement or hope (or a piece of candy), don’t be afraid to holler at them. And don’t worry, 6’ 5" tall Ray doesn’t mind if Karen calls you honey or sugar – it’s just that Southern charm again!