THE FUNNY
SIDE OF TRUCKING
Vic Vasselin - Full Time Trucker & Part Time Cartoonist
A few months ago, we
began featuring a new cartoonist in 10-4 Magazine. “Trucktoon by Vic Vasselin”
debuted back in the October 2004 edition and has been running ever since,
poking fun and looking at the lighter side of trucks, truckers and trucking
in general. As a veteran truck driver himself, Vic Vasselin of Maynard,
MA knows the ins and outs of driving truck and, combined with his artistic
talents and sense of humor, has a unique opportunity to capture the funny
side of the industry and its people. We thought it would be good if you
got to know Vic a little better.
As far back as he can
remember, Vic has always been interested in trucks, which led him to start
dreaming about them and drawing them. Over the years, he continued to
refine his craft, drawing on any piece of paper he could find. Vic would
often get in trouble at school for drawing in class. We can all probably
remember a guy (or girl) like Vic back in school who was always daydreaming
and doodling.
In
his early teens, Vic had a brother-in-law who drove a gasoline tanker.
Vic would ride along with him every chance that he could, always watching,
listening and learning. Then, one day his brother-in-law let him drive
the truck in a large parking lot - now he was really hooked! When he turned
sixteen, Vic got his Class 1 Learner’s Permit, but by that time his brother-in-law
had left that job. When the permit expired, it was back to drawing trucks
and onto Vocational School, were he studied H.V.A.C. (heating and air
conditioning systems). After working in the H.V.A.C. trade for a few years,
he realized that he was still “drawn” to the trucking profession. At that
point, he decided to change careers and headed off to truck driving school,
where he later graduated and received his Class 1 License.
Without any experience,
finding his first driving job was not easy. He got a break and started
driving for a small company that hauled oil, gas and flatbed, delivering
precast concrete slabs. After one week of training, he was on his own.
The first morning, while bobtailing to the concrete plant in an old Diamond
Reo (the spare truck), it was dark, foggy and wet. As he attempted to
exit the roadway, the truck went sideways. He claims that he got his first
gray hair and a little on-the-job training that day. For a short period,
Vic went on to run an oil tanker rig. Then, at the age of twenty-one,
he began delivering gasoline in a brand new Autocar. There was a lot of
overtime but little or no benefits at that job, so it quickly became time
to move on. From the tanker job he jumped to lowbed, then dump trailers,
reefer and then boxes. Today, Vic is back in a tanker, hauling “bio-solids”
(wastewater sludge), and has been for the last sixteen years. Yes, it’s
a dirty job but, as he puts it, “Someone has to do it. Besides, it’s steady
work with great benefits and a pension plan, and the flow never stops.”
Throughout
the years, Vic has been drawing cartoons and doodling for fun. At work,
the guys ask him to draw cartoons of them. They all get a good laugh,
especially the ones of the boss. Only recently has he got serious about
his cartooning. He’s not sure why he waited so long and often wonders
if he should have gone to art school. Sure, there are a lot of good cartoonists
out there, but can they drive a truck?
When he’s not driving
or drawing, you will find him working on antique trucks or at a truck
show with his wife of fifteen years and their daughter Aleah. Vic has
a 1935 Dodge Brother street rod pickup and a 1934 Ford pickup. He also
has an extensive toy truck collection featuring items dating from the
1920’s through the 1960’s.
As a professional trucker
with more than twenty-three accident free years of driving, Vic still
loves being on the road. He is always listening to the C.B. and watching
out for new cartoon ideas. With all the bad things happening in the world
(whether man-made or by natural disaster), the political correctness,
stress and everyday challenges we all face, he thinks that it is important
to able to laugh at ourselves. A cartoon would not be funny if it didn’t
poke fun at someone or something. Driving is a tough job. Remember that
first gray hair? Well, there’s a few more now.
After
searching the Internet and looking through trucking publications, Vic
noticed that there were not many trucking cartoons, and none drawn by
a trucker. He decided to send some samples out, and was pleased when we
at 10-4 chose to publish them. We hope everyone enjoys them - that is
what makes them fun. Vic is looking forward to drawing more cartoons,
and hopes his “trucktoons” make your day a little nicer when you see them.
Copyright ©
2005 10-4 Magazine and Tenfourmagazine.com
PO Box 7377 Huntington Beach, CA, 92615 tel. (714) 378-9990 fax
(714) 962-8506
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