10-4 Magazine April 2024

24 10-4 Magazine / April 2024 Today, Nick and Manny reside in Heber City, UT, and Nick plans on continuing to drive this truck, along with doing all the normal maintenance. He has another 1986 Peterbilt 359 in the shop right now that is a project truck. He continues to do all his own mechanical work. The near future goal is to be able to confidently build a truck on his own, in his shop, and possess everything he needs to do so. For the first month running, Nick used his friend Tanner’s flatbed, then he bought his own – a 2018 Utility 48-foot flatbed trailer. He runs mostly regional, hauling a lot of structural steel right out of Heber City, but he will haul just about anything he can strap down. Special thanks from Nick to his Papa for giving him the trucking “bug” and for teaching him about trucks and trucking, and for passing along the pride he had onto Nick. To his family for being so understanding when he opted to forego using his four-year bachelor’s degree to get into trucking, and to his Nana for believing in him from the start (and the help buying the truck). Special shout out to Manny, who doesn’t come from a trucking background, for her love, patience, and sacrifice. She is an amazing partner, a great helper wherever she can, sees and understands his passion for this lifestyle, and goes with the flow that every day is a truck day. There is no one he would rather do this life with. Thank you to his friends the Finns, the Jaegers, Andrew and Scott Nelson, Breton Munns, Tanner Cox, Jimmy Johnston, and Finch Welding & Fabrication out of Heber City, UT for all the help, advice, support, and most of all, friendship. Utah remains one of my favorite states and I appreciated the opportunity to photograph another truck in the beautiful landscape this state provides. I had the opportunity to speak to Nick back at the 2021 ATHS National Convention in Harrisonburg, VA, however, I wasn’t formally introduced to him. This was actually the first truck show he took his truck to, driving out there, with Manny following behind him in her car. Thank you goes to one of my great friends Jimmy Johnston for being a reliable source in finding cool old trucks with amazing owner stories. It is so great to be able to photograph these time capsules, but the people operating these trucks arewhat makes the stories. Believe it or not, there are plenty out there who keep trucking’s past alive with not only their passion for the trucks and the way trucking used to be, but also in the trucks they operate. There is a bit of nostalgia, seeing these old trucks running up and down the road, still earning their keep. Though the time photographing Nick’s truck was short, it was definitely time well spent getting to hang out with him and Manny. We met bright and early on a Sunday morning because I wanted to try to get some rolling sunrise photos heading into Provo Canyon, which we successfully accomplished. From there we went to the Historic Tate Barn. The original barn was built in 1902, but during the winter of 1996, the barn fell into disrepair because of heavy snow. The barn we took photos next to was resurrected in a similar design to the original structure. Thank you to Nick for the great conversations, the laughs, and for giving me the opportunity to tell some of your story. Some people prefer the beach and the salty air, while others of us, like Nick and me, prefer those amazing mountain views. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe. n