The Veteran’s View: By Dennis Mitchell Ho Ho Ho! Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la… la… la la la!! Sorry folks, I’m not much of a singer, but I can play jingle bells on the Jake brake after about three glasses of egg nog. Then I just fall asleep and dream of all the things I would like Santa to bring me when he slides down the chimney. Chrome, stainless, and all things shiny for my parking lot princess… what did you think I would be dreaming of, chestnuts roasting by the fire or sugar plums dancing in my head? Nope, can’t do that, I’m on a sugar-free diet, watching my waistline so I don’t get mugged at Walmart in the cookie isle or be mistakenly kidnapped for ransom and held as the Big Guy. Don’t laugh, it could happen this time of year. This is the season of giving, so if you’re not sure anyone is going to gift you “truck parts” then be sure to get some for your partner – the truck. It’s not the same as getting it for yourself since technically it’s for your partner, the other half of a well-oiled machine, and I’m sure you talk to it like its a person every day. Many of our readers call their trucks by name. On Dasher, on Comet, on Blitzen and you, too, Razerfer. Wake the heck up, we got work to do – what do you think this is, summer camp?! There’s freight to be hauled and all of them little boys and girls are depending on us to rocket through the night. It’s time to kick the tires and light some fires! “The pre-trip is almost done, just a few more things to mark off… headlamps (check)… chicken lights (check)… starlights (check)… taillights are all you can see as we light up the Christmas sky. We gone, bye, bye!” But wait – there’s more, that’s not the end of this story. I went back and looked over a few of my December articles to see what I might have said so I don’t repeat myself. Mostly I wrote stories about holidays and family gatherings. We all start celebrating in November for Thanksgiving, and most will stay in the festive mood till a couple weeks after New Year’s Eve. As I recall, that’s about the time the credit card bills start to roll in… ouch! That is unless you are a truck driver – we don’t get to do too much celebrating, because that tends to be our busiest time of the year. Between increased freight levels for gift giving and year-end inventories, we are all on the move. This is one time when it doesn’t make any difference what line of transportation you’re in, it’s hectic. Local drivers are just as important as the long haul guys or gals who push the import products from dock to shore and the freight lines who move it across the inland infrastructure. It’s not just dry goods, either – there’s food products, fresh produce, and frozen foods. Can you say cranberry sauce or giblet gravy? Then, for year-end inventory, many of the last minute purchases are approved for construction projects, or replacement purchases to carry over into next year’s continuous and seamless distribution and/or supply chain. I get worn out just thinking about it. Just a little early gift from our faithful 10-4 family to all of you. As a special gift to DTM (Dan The Man), our editor and chief, I will try to write fewer words and use more pictures to demonstrate the process. I chose the title for this article “Anatomy of a Gift” purposely to help showcase some of the work necessary to manufacture and produce high-end, top quality truck parts. These are products that can and will hold up to the rigors of road life. I’ve been a lifelong consumer of better built products. Not as a brand name, but as a category of replacement parts for our equipment. First, let me be clear, never dress up your company ride at your personal expense! This can be a pitfall for company drivers if they are forced to separate from the employment and then are required to leave all that “investment” on the truck for the next driver. Read your employment contract carefully beforehand and be sure you can remove personal items from your carrier-owned vehicles upon separation. It’s also a good idea to get your carrier to sign off on any changes or “self-imposed improvements” you may want to make, as you don’t want to be the first driver fired for altering company equipment. We have that provision in our driver policy, because I have a certain look, and don’t want it altered. In today’s marketplace, many of the carriers out there have a written policy that limits or restricts any changes to company equipment. However, there 46 10-4 Magazine / December 2025 ANATOMY OF A GIFT
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