10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

COVER FEATURE - FEBRUARY 2006

SLY DOG’S 2ND CHANCE
A PROMISE MADE ~ A PROMISE KEPT

By Daniel J. Linss - Editor

It’s not often that you get a second chance at life. Marc McElroy of Grand Terrace, California is one of the few that not only got the chance but seized it. Midway through his life, Marc found himself struggling financially, personally, emotionally and physically. These challenges almost pushed him over the brink and nearly cost him his family. But he fought back to clean himself up, and promised his wife that their second twenty years would be better than the first. And five years later, his promise is still intact and life is good – very good.

Marc McElroy (49) was born and raised in Southern California. He grew up in the city of Carson and graduated from Banning High School in Wilmington, CA. At that time, he had no clue about what he wanted to do with his life. In May of 1977, he met his future wife Diane while roller skating. Later that same year they were married, and soon thereafter they had three children – Julie, Steve and Melissa. At 24 years old, Marc got a job filling orders at a grocery warehouse. For nine years he worked at Certified Grocers in Santa Fe Springs, at night, before he realized that he was going nowhere fast. He hated working nights, and even after nine years, he was still the low man on the totem pole, in regards to seniority.

To get out of that dreaded night shift, Marc signed up at a truck driving school so that he could become a truck driver (working days) for the company. After just seven two-hour driving lessons (no classroom study), he graduated from Dial Truck Driving School in 1988 and became a driver for Certified. Having no experience, they put him on a terrible route that had him delivering to “mom and pop” stores in and around the gang-plagued area of South-Central Los Angeles. Some of the stores actually had armed guards on the dock as Marc unloaded. He drove for Certified for eight years before being let go when the company had to “get lean” because of hard times. From there, Marc began a slippery slide down.

Over the next two years, he jumped from company to company, trying to find a home, all the while struggling with personal problems. Changing jobs every six or eight months is not a good way to earn a living. Marc’s financial troubles began to compound his other problems. Ultimately, Marc lost his house, his cars, his savings and almost his wife. Only by the grace of God did she stay. He often wonders why. After losing almost everything, Marc sat his wife down in the small apartment they were renting and made her a promise. He promised her that he would get his act together, that she would never have to worry about money again and that their next twenty years would be better than the first. She just said, “I’ve heard it all before. Actions speak louder than words.” But Marc really meant what he said and he kept his promise. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by C.R. England out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Marc decided that he was going to make it work, no matter what it took.

Marc started out as a company driver with England in January of 1997. He liked England because they had nice equipment and a regional fleet, which allowed him to be home on weekends. Marc did not have a lot of experience driving out of state – in fact, he had never driven farther than Las Vegas – but because of his many years of driving, he was able to start with top pay. At his orientation, Marc’s instructor noticed his very limited OTR experience (to say the least) and made the comment, “You must be a pretty sly dog to get away with that.” Marc laughed and the nickname stuck.

After about a year at England as a company driver, many of Marc’s friends started buying their own trucks. Not having good credit, Marc wasn’t able to buy a truck, so when England offered their first lease program, he jumped on it. Back then, lease programs were just getting started at England, and Marc was one of the first to sign up. His first truck was a Freightliner Century. He drove this truck hard for three years, basically keeping it stock except for polishing the wheels and adding a few extra lights. He made a lot of money with that truck and his life really started to turn around.

After the three-year lease expired, he moved up into the Premier Lease program. At this level, he got to choose between a Freightliner Classic and Century and got to spec the truck the way he wanted it (except for the drivetrain – England required it to have a 500 horsepower Detroit with a 13-speed transmission and 3.58 rears). Marc chose the Classic XL in Garnett red with a Texas-style bumper and 150-gallon fuel tanks. He also got a Rosewood dash upgrade and had the upper bunk in the sleeper replaced with extra cabinets. He figured that he’d add the little stuff later, himself, at a significantly lower cost, so he just worried about the big stuff when ordering the truck.

Another three years went by and now it’s 2004. Finishing yet another lease, Marc became the first driver to ever reach the next level – England’s Master Premier Lease program. It was such a huge event at the company, that February 20th, 2004 was dubbed “Marc McElroy Day” to commemorate the occasion. The company gave him a special plaque and even had buttons made for everyone to wear that day. Not bad for a guy who had once lost everything! At this level, Marc got to choose his truck and whether or not to buy it or lease it, or he could purchase the one he had (all he needed to provide was the downpayment). He opted to keep his 2001 Classic XL, which happens to be the truck on our cover/centerfold this month.

The original loan on his truck was for three years, but last June (2005), after making payments for a year and a half, Marc decided that he didn’t want to have a truck payment anymore. He called and got the payoff amount, shifted some money around and then wrote the check. And just like that, he owned his truck outright! Not many truckers can say that. Marc is so proud. Not only does he own his truck, but he also has a house again, two nice cars in the driveway and more money in the bank than he has ever had in his life! But even more important than all those worldly possessions, Marc now has a strong marriage and a happy life.

Marc gives England a lot of credit for his success. While it is true that they gave him the tools to be successful and a lot of opportunities, we suspect that much of his success comes from hard work and his ability to see (and seize) opportunities as they present themselves. He currently does about three turns per week between Southern California and Salt Lake City, hauling drop and hook loads behind his very clean, show-worthy Freightliner – a truck that Marc never would have imagined he’d ever own.

Since paying off the truck, Marc now finds a little more money left in his pocket at the end of each month. Some of that cash has been going back into the rig, and boy is she lookin’ good. The truck already had a drop-down visor and some extra lights (as well as that signature “Sly Dog” bug screen), but recently Marc has done more work to this old truck, including having it completely repainted red with a clearcoat finish and having the front fenders painted a pearl gold metallic.

The rig’s exterior is simple and clean, with aluminum full fenders, front and rear custom bumpers, smooth stainless steel deck plating, about 140 LED lights, many extra pieces of stainless and black, white and gold vinyl stripes. The back of the sleeper has a vinyl mural, made by Interstate Image in Salt Lake City, featuring “Sly Dog” lounging in a hammock between two palm tress. Inside, the truck has a complete gauge and switch cover package, more extra pieces of stainless and custom carpet. About the only thing he hasn’t done but would like to do is add a wood floor. Marc laughed about how he used to give his friends a hard time about spending all their money on chrome, but look at him now. He’s gone way beyond what most of them ever did with their trucks, so now they give him an even harder time.

Marc has accomplished a lot of things that he is very proud of. In 2004, Marc was the 1st runner up as Independent Contractor of the Year at England. He also has about 1.4 million “safe driving” miles at England alone (not counting his other trucking jobs), as well as countless plaques and trophies from various truck shows. But his greatest achievement (believe it or not) was being chosen to be on our cover. Marc tried for years, and his persistence and hard work finally paid off. We kept telling him to keep working on his truck and he did. Every time we saw his truck, it looked better than before. We appreciate all that effort and thank Marc for it. It means a lot to us to know that it means so much to him. Yes, Marc’s life is much better now, but not all is perfect.

Three years ago Marc and Diane lost their youngest daughter Melissa in a terrible car accident. She was only 18 years old. The car she was a passenger in was hit by a bus, killing her and three others. Marc has an 8 x 10 portrait of Melissa hanging in the sleeper and considers her to be his guardian angel that watches over him and protects him. “She goes everywhere with me now,” said Marc.

Marc and his wife have been through a lot, but today they have a great relationship. The trials they have been put through would have ended many marriages, but these things actually brought them closer together. Diane goes to all the shows and helps Marc clean the truck. They have four grandchildren and spend as much time as possible with them. Marc has considered buying a second truck, but says he’d have to find the right driver and the right piece of equipment before he’d ever do it. His focus right now is taking care of his family and looking forward – never back. As he put it, “Don’t look at where I’ve been, look at where I’m going. Failure is not an option – not anymore.”

We are proud to have Marc McElroy’s truck on our cover, and proud of Marc’s success. He made mistakes and learned from them. He made promises and kept them. We told him to keep working and he did. He had hard times but he kept pressing forward. He was given a second chance and he took it. As it turns out, Marc is not a “Sly Dog” at all – he’s a good, honest, hard working man, and that is a whole lot better. And if you happen to see Marc on February 20th, be sure to wish him a happy “Marc McElroy Day” and give him a high-five.