10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

COVER FEATURE - JUNE 2006

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
LES SULLIVAN WINDS DOWN A LONG TRUCKING CAREER
By Daniel J. Linss - Editor

After 38 years of trucking and 17 trucks, Owner Operator Les Sullivan of Springfield, Illinois is finally ready to start slowing down. Recently becoming a grandfather, the 62-year-old trucker is looking to shift gears and start spending more time with his wife Brenda and their grandson Sam. But retirement is out of the question, and so is buying another truck, calling his latest (and greatest) creation his, “Last ride.”

Les was born and raised in Celina, Tennessee. At 10 years old, his family moved to a farm in Illinois, where Les grew up around trucks and other farm equipment. But trucking wasn’t his first choice of careers. After graduating high school, he spent four years in the service and then planned on entering the field of law enforcement – namely, he wanted to be an Illinois State Trooper. But back then, there were a lot of rules and it was tough to get in (you couldn’t even have a moustache). Everything was looking good: he passed the written test, was an expert in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, and he was in great physical condition. There was only one problem – he was too short. Back then, you had to be 5’ 9" and he was only 5’ 8" tall. Later, when woman entered the equation, the height restrictions were eliminated. “I could have been retired and out fishing right now if I had got in,” remarked Les.

Growing up, Les had an uncle that drove a truck from Springfield to Chicago. In those days, that was a two-day trip along Route 66. Les always enjoyed going along for the ride. Being raised on a farm, Les had a lot of experience driving straight trucks but he had never driven a tractor-trailer before. So, deciding to pursue his second career of choice, he went out and bought a truck and taught himself how to drive. He never went to any truck driving school and he was never formally trained by anyone. His first truck was an International cabover with a spring suspension, no air conditioning and no power steering (back then, this was called Armstrong steering). He got himself leased on to an outfit in Minnesota and started pulling a reefer.

In 38 years of trucking, Les has always pulled a reefer, he’s always been an owner operator, and he’s always run between the Midwest and the West Coast. And he’s only worked with a handful of companies. He spent five years with the company in Minnesota until they went out of business, then he spent five more years at another outfit in Minnesota, then he bounced around a few companies over the next ten years, and then signed on with Sharkey Transportation out of Quincy, Illinois. He stayed at Sharkey for 11 years. For the last six years, Les has been with Budreck Truck Lines out of Bridgeview, Illinois, and he’s been very happy ever since.

Pulling a reefer trailer his entire trucking career, Les has hauled a lot of meat and food products. Presently, he hauls LTL freight from Chicago to Phoenix for Budreck, then deadheads into Los Angeles, where he picks up seafood going back to Chicago for Service Transport in Federalsburg, Maryland. He has been doing this for six years and has a great relationship with both companies.

Les has owned a lot of trucks. In 38 years, he has owned 17 trucks, including Peterbilts, Kenworths, Internationals, Freightliners and Western Stars. Of course many of these trucks were used, so some were already pretty worn out when he got them, and some were purchased new. But Les never kept a truck for very long, and whenever it hit 400,000 miles, he got rid of it. His last seven trucks have all been Western Stars – two were purchased used and five were bought new. The reason Les started buying Western Stars is simple: his local shop, Springfield Tractor Trailer, became a Western Star dealer. Today, Les wouldn’t drive anything else. Known for their smooth ride and rugged dependability, Western Star trucks used to be heavier than most trucks, but that’s not really an issue anymore. His current ride was purchased new and now has over 350,000 miles on the odometer. But Les isn’t going to trade this one in when it hits 400,000 – he’s in this one for the long haul.

Unlike any of his other trucks, Les has put a lot of time and money into this one. He has always kept his trucks clean, but not like this one. Two years ago, someone at Western Star talked Les into taking his truck to Louisville and entering it in the show. Les had never competed in a truck show, but he reluctantly took it anyway. Not knowing what he was doing, he didn’t do very well. But he got “the bug” anyway. Ever since then he has been improving his truck, learning the ins and outs of the truck show world, and competing in every show he can get to. And he has done very well, culminating with a Best of Show win at a Stars & Stripes event in Nebraska last year. His truck was also featured in some Western Star advertising brochures.

The truck is a 2003 Western Star 4964 EX with a C-15 Cat, 13-speed transmission, 3.36 rears and a 270" wheelbase (the longest he could go without doubling up the frame). This rig, featuring a Star Light sleeper, has been a work in progress ever since he bought it. Ordered White with an Ultra Violet Pearl frame and fenders, the truck now has flames on the side and top of the hood, as well as on the sides of the sleeper, about 250 LED lights, a Rig Master generator, tank skirts and WTI full fenders. Les also had the rails and reefer unit of his 2001 Wabash polished stainless trailer painted to match the tractor. The 50-foot spread axle trailer was purchased new and has served him well over the years (it’s perfect for hauling LTL freight). Only lately have companies started making accessories for Western Star trucks, so Les has now began working on the interior. His engine will be his next project.

Back when his trailer was new, he was opening the rear doors one windy day in Chicago, when they blew out of his hands and whipped around and banged into the sides of the trailer. Both sides had identical dents. Les was not excited at the thought of replacing side panels on his new stainless trailer (fearing that they wouldn’t match or look quite right), but then he had an idea. Earlier that week, Les had taken a photograph of his grandson Sam that he really liked. Sitting on a John Deere tractor, Sam was wearing his specially-made, kid-sized Western Star hat and looking cool. Les took the picture to his longtime graphics guy, Doug Canham, who made two identical vinyl graphics for Les to stick on his trailer and “cover up” the dents. On the top of the graphic, Doug added the Western Star logo and underneath he put the phrase, “The Legacy Continues.” Most of the people that see the graphics love them and have no idea that they are covering dents.

Over the years, Les has seen a lot of things change in the trucking industry – some for the better and some for the worse. On the good side, the equipment is better, the roads are better, cellular phones have made things a lot easier and satellite radio has made listening to music and other things much better across the entire country. On the down side, the trucking industry has become severely over-regulated, fuel is out-of-this-world expensive and the traffic is only getting worse, no matter how many times they widen the roads. Like most truckers out there, Les has seen his career go up and down several times, often following the economy. But Les has always enjoyed his work. He also loves meeting new people and seeing new and interesting things.

Being away from home for long periods of time can be tough. Les recalled one of the best (or worst) examples of this challenge. On March 12th of this year, Les got a call from his wife Brenda. She was frantic because a tornado was on the ground and fast approaching their neighborhood. Les instructed her to climb into the bathtub and cover herself with a blanket. As he sat in Denver, Colorado, on his cell phone, listening to the tornado pass over their house, he felt pretty helpless. “It sounded like a freight train,” said Les. Luckily, they only sustained minor damage to their property but many of his neighbors weren’t so lucky – 250 homes were destroyed by the tornado. Days like those, its tough being away from home.

After years of traveling through Arizona, Les had never been to Sedona, where we met for the photo shoot. Having been told that it would be a great location and that we would have no problem getting around in a tractor-trailer, we were excited to see how things would turn out. We were amazed at the beauty of the red rock formations, but quickly realized that this shoot would not be easy. We figured that Sedona would have monuments, turnouts and scenic overlooks, but that was not the case. Sedona is a pretty place where people don’t just vacation or visit – they live there. In fact, some of the houses have been built right into the rock formations. It was hard to find a location that didn’t have a house in the way. Not only that, but the roads are narrow and crowded, and the locals did not take too kindly to our “sight-seeing” as they were trying to speed home. Needless to say, we got the job done and had a great time anyway. Les was even talking about bringing his wife out sometime for a little vacation. Our recommendation: leave the truck at home!

Les wanted to thank a few people for all the help they have given him over the years. Doug Canham and his father Bill of Canham Graphics, Brad Subler, owner of Budreck Truck Lines, Kirk Coulbourne of Service Transport (Les has worked with Kirk for six years and the two have never met face-to-face), Stan Skrzypiec from Western Star, Ben Wieder of Level 6 Marketing and George Anderson of Accuride Wheels. But who he really wanted to thank was his wife Brenda, who holds the fort down while he’s gone, and that’s a big job.

Married for 40 years, Brenda and Les have three grown children (one daughter and two sons) who all live near them. After the kids left the house, Brenda got her CDL and went out on the road with Les for a year until she had some medical problems and had to get out of the truck. Les loves being a grandfather, and hopes that more grandchildren will be coming soon. Their grandson Sam loves riding around town with grandpa in the truck and blowing the horn. Be careful, Les, you might give Sam “the bug” for trucking.

Besides doing a little more work to the truck’s interior and engine, Les would also like to add WTI fenders to the trailer and paint the undercarriage purple. But that’s about it. He plans on keeping this truck for as long as he continues to work, and since he has no plans for retirement, that could be a long time. But now that he’s in the business of being a grandparent, he’d like to drive less and spend more time “hanging out” with Sam.

Les Sullivan lives by the Golden Rule – treat others as you would like to be treated – and so far, that philosophy has served him well. Les is an excellent ambassador for the trucking industry, and, frankly, we’re glad he became a trucker and not a trooper. And if this is his last ride, he has definitely saved the best for last, because this rig is a “star” in anyone’s book.