10-4 Magazine March 2022

The Veteran’s View: By Dennis Mitchell I would consider myself a semi pro polisher, at best. Winter is waning and spring is on the horizon... maybe. I’m settin by the window waiting for the delivery guy to get here with my test kit from SIC RIGZ Polish by Caliva’s Polishing Products. They come highly recommended by my supplier and I’m excited to try their line of products. I’m always looking for new and better ways to get the old work horse tuned up and standing tall. It’s too miserable around here to go trucking. The winds blowing pretty good today and the snow is still on the ground, so I’m going back to school and tuning up my polishing skills. Detailing is more than polishing the wheels and front bumper. So, what is detailing and who can teach you how to do it? Most of us think only of our big trucks and polishers like the guys out in Barstow, Casa Grande, or maybe Wildwood, Florida. Not so fast there, homeboy. The act of detailing is to treat the whole package, and that includes all types and kinds of vehicles. A good shop should be able to handle everything from your semi to your pickup, and even the wife’s new Mercedes. When we talk about all vehicles, we also mean all of the vehicle. Inside, outside, and under the hood, including the tires. But there’s more to detailing than just knowing what products to purchase, you also need to know how and when to use them. It may be hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but it’s not impossible. So, I’m working on my “Just Steppin” Peterbilt as my test vehicle. Bear in mind this old rig has 2+ million miles on it, and none of them were easy ones. When in doubt, reach out to the professionals. This old man is getting schooled. So, how can you tell the difference between a pro and a semi pro? First off, the pro, or professional, is someone who has a specific skill and makes a living doing it (unlike truck drivers who work for days just to pay for dinner). This is a person who has learned their trade or profession at a considerable financial and time investment. A semi pro is a truck owner or driver who dabbles at the same skill with varied degrees of success. If you’re still unsure, the semi pro is often too cheap to pay for said service or is not in a location close to the place offering the work. Therefore, they learn some of the basic moves, then dabble at doing their own detailing. This situation can apply to much of the side jobs we as drivers do. In the past I have written about lumpers, people who are paid to load and/or unload trailers at grocery warehouses, and even some tire services that do road repair, but this time I’m gonna get down and dirty and get the skinny on putting your shine on. It’s the end of snow season and soon to be show season, and we all know what that means. The four stages of truckin’ are soon to begin: drive the truck, wash last week’s grime off, shine everything you can find, and then drive to a local event to show your pride on the weekend. Then repeat. Be sure to keep picking up and reading your 10-4 Magazine, because it is the premier publication for truck show coverage and the best place to find high quality iron – am I right? I’m already thinking about MATS in Louisville, KY. Whether you are planning to go there to compete or not, there will be plenty of other shows, and we want you – our faithful readers – to be ready. I’ve been fortunate over the years to have experimented with different ways to get my trucks to look acceptable, and even won some shows, along the way. The only constant in life is change, but it’s hard to keep up with those changes when you are so busy doing your job. 58 10-4 Magazine / March 2022 SEMI PRO POLISHER