The Next Generation: By Shelly Hartman One of 10-4 Magazine’s associates and contributors, Eric Hill, met Kameron at the AMCAN truck show in Union Grove, WI in June 2021. Eric was very impressed at Kam’s accomplishments at such a young age and really liked his “Gold Digger” Peterbilt combination (a photo of it even appeared in the show report in the magazine from that event in the August 2021 edition). The two of them continued talking after the show, and plans were beginning to be made to shoot that truck and do a feature in the magazine about he and his rig. However, unfortunately, that never happened. While out on the road, doing what he loved, in that white and blue Peterbilt, which he only ran for three weeks, Kameron passed away on January 16, 2022, in Joplin, MO, from complications due to having A-Fib (an ongoing heart condition) and sleep apnea. To honor his life, passion, and dedication to trucking, the Kameron Wilken Young Entrepreneur Award was established to recognize young truckers and builders Welcome to a new feature that will spotlight some awesome and enterprising young entrepreneurs of trucking every few months based on an award created to honor my son, Kameron Wilken, who was passionate about trucking, eager to learn and hardworking. Sadly, we all lost him too soon at the young age of 23 when he passed away in his truck in Joplin, MO due to a heart condition. Although only with us for a short time, Kameron left a lasting impression on so many in the trucking industry. Born into the trucking world on March 27 during the weekend of the 1998 MATS truck show, Kameron Wilken arrived at a whopping 10 pounds 4 ounces (10-4)! From the very beginning, it seemed his path was already written. Raised in a hardworking farming and trucking family, Kameron spent his childhood riding in the passenger seat of a semi with his dad, Reed Wilken, and working long days on the grain farm in Illinois. Those times with his dad in a truck and on the farm taught him the value of hard work, honesty, and to never give up – all qualities the “next generation” of truckers will need to embody to keep this industry respected and admired and a solid career choice in the future. By 15, Kameron was already hauling grain in an 18-wheeler, learning the grit and responsibility that comes with life on the road. When he wasn’t in the field, he spent his nights and weekends in the shop repairing trucks, planters, and combines alongside his dad. Mechanics and trucking weren’t just work to him, they were his passion. At 18, Kameron earned his CDL and began hauling loads throughout Illinois, and at just 19 years old, he started his own company, K. Wilken Trucking, Inc., showing the drive and determination of an entrepreneur. By the age of 21, Kameron hit the open road, and at 22 he secured his own trucking authority. Kameron also loved building trucks and showing them at truck shows. That passion started when he was a young boy rebuilding his toy semi-trucks, and it continued as he worked side-by-side with his dad rebuilding real semis in the shop. Over his six years or so of trucking, Kameron had some nice trucks including a red Peterbilt 379 with a flattop sleeper, a gold 2001 Peterbilt 379 with a standup sleeper and a matching reefer trailer (which he called Gold Digger), and a newer white and blue Peterbilt 379 with a big flattop sleeper, which he had purchased from a man named Warren Hartman. Years later, this truck would unknowingly bring me, Kameron’s mom Shelly, and Warren together. 46 10-4 Magazine / April 2026 HONORING THE FUTURE
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy