64 10-4 Magazine / December 2025 Truck driving and family support go hand in hand. Many families have members who go back two or even three or more generations as truck drivers and even though, generally, one family member is out on the road driving, there is much support at home to keep that driver out there earning a living. I’ve read stories of how fathers and sons and daughters work together to maintain the family truck, along with the younger ones, learning to love the road while as kids, just riding with dad and appreciating trucking. There are many tales of a young man getting married and starting out as an owner operator who, while out on the road, has a young bride at home who may not have had much training, but is quick to learn and execute bookkeeping, business calls, licenses and permit applications, and more. Michael Archiere of Danbury, CT, grew up in an extended family of truck drivers. His father Pat and Pat’s brother Tony both owned trucking companies, hauling sand and gravel, using a variety of dump trucks, while being hired by the hour. Mike drove for years for both his father’s business, P.W. Archiere and Sons and for Uncle Tony’s outfit, and both owners had a big preference for Brockway trucks. Mike (62) said that when he was a kid in the 70s and 80s, his father had a 1969 Brockway 361 which was a popular and common style around the Danbury area. In all, Pat had five trucks, all Brockways, which included a tri-axle and a ten-wheeler. Mike and his father once went to Cold Spring, NY to visit Allen Coal, which was a large trucking outfit that originally hauled coal, but by that time was dealing with sand and gravel, with a fleet of Brockways. Coal was known as the creator of a unique pickup truck called the “Husky Pup” that utilized a Brockway cab with cut-down parts. Similar to Mack Truck’s use of the bulldog hood ornament, Brockway’s mascot was the venerable sled dog – the Husky. Mike and Pat visited Coal just to see the truck collection but wound up coming home with a tri-axle Brockway 361 and a ten-wheeler model 358. Mike’s mom, Barbara, wasn’t too happy with that. They rebuilt and painted the 361 tri-axle a “beautiful blue” and it was operated by Mike for quite a long time. Mike’s brother, Bobby, drove the 358 when they both worked for their dad. Pat Archiere also had a 1971 361 tractor and dump trailer he hauled with. During that time, Tony was operating a ‘72 model 361 painted yellow. Both Pat and Tony owned R and B-model Macks, as well. Mike drove for Tony and ended up substituting for his uncle after he broke his leg by “putting the truck over” at the landfill. Prior to that, “the boys” were too young for driver’s licenses, but Mike recalled driving with Tony in the passenger seat a lot before he had a license. Along with helping his father maintain his trucks, Mike, along with Tony’s sons, helped his uncle with his trucks. They all worked together in the Special Feature: By Duncan Putman 80s and early 90s, up until Tony retired from trucking in 1995. Tony bought a 1975 Brockway 761 in 1984 in Long Pond, PA. Originally, it was a tri-axle dump truck with a 270 Cummins engine linked to a 6-speed transmission and a 56,000-pound rear end. Tony and his son Joey drove the truck until 1995 when it was parked and retired. Shortly after, Tony took a job working for the City of Danbury. The truck ended up in Mike’s yard and, not too long after, Uncle Tony was diagnosed with cancer. Mike promised his uncle that he would restore the truck and take it to Cortland, NY for the big annual Brockway show, held where the trucks were originally made. Mike can remember his uncle saying it wouldn’t be possible to restore the truck as it was “junk” at that point. In 2007, Tony passed away, and then the family decided to start the lengthy restoration process. It wasn’t an easy (or cheap) endeavor, and many “surprises” slowed down the work, but the crew soldiered on. They found the truck to be in very bad shape, especially the interior, which had been destroyed by the rusty roof and cab back leaking. After attempting to get the engine started it was found that A TRIBUTE TO TONY
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