10-4 Magazine March 2022

84 10-4 Magazine / March 2022 pictures of the car and the bridge. They asked Dave if he could drive the car to the top of Mount Tamalpais on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. He thought that would be hard on the car, so Dave told them he could take the car to the top of the mountain in his trailer, and he did just that. Afterward, he had just enough room to get turned around and slowly creep back down the mountain, and the Silver Ghost remained safe. Leaving Horseless Carriage about five years ago, Dave has been leased to Bennett Transport out of McDonough, Georgia for the past three years. Doing power only moves, he hauls a lot of shows, stage event equipment, delivers new trailers to their owners, does van line moves, and more. Dave recently did a Bruno Mars Tour, ending in Las Vegas, a stage production equipment move for a Sondheim play called Passion, and several WWE tours. He typically gets to haul some pretty interesting stuff, much like his tenure at Horseless Carriage. After leaving Horseless Carriage, he kept his truck green but added his own graphics, which were inspired by the swoosh design on a Prevost tour bus he saw. After modifying it and adding a carbon fiber look, Dave now feels that it looks like “his” truck and not theirs. He likes to be different from everyone else, and this truck certainly fits the bill – and he was able to do it without dropping $10K on a full repaint. He is pondering doing a new, full wrap, but hasn’t found anything he likes just yet. Many of you might know Dave Sweetman from the adventures he has shared over the years, starting back in 1995, when he began writing for RPM, RPM Extra and RPM Canada. He wrote for Trucker’s News and then Road Star for nine years, with a few of his stories in Heavy Duty Trucking, as well. He has been writing for OOIDA’s Landline Magazine since the February 2008 issue, and you can still read his “Dashboard Confidential” column in the magazine each month. Dave has been an OOIDA member since 1979 and tries to give back to the industry he loves. Dave and I share the same mentor, Bette Garber. Chatting for this story we couldn’t help but share some of the great memories we have of our dear friend. She gave much to the trucking industry, and her work is timeless. Where it is now is a story for another day. Dave has been hitting the road for 50 years and has logged over 5 million safe miles with no accidents. He told me he’s still that little boy under the oak tree, with his grandfather, wanting to go places. He still has the love for the road, and John and I both understand. After you have been out for a while, you want to go home, but after you are home for a while, it’s time to go! I want to thank our friend for the honor of telling some stories that he hasn’t shared over the years. I always say, “You can put the trucks in museums, but when the drivers are gone, the stories are gone.” Truckers need to keep telling their old stories, and we need to keep documenting them, so future generations will know what trucking was like before their time. And with storytellers like Dave Sweetman, there are bound to be some great ones. Keep on trucking and sharing your adventures, Dave... the truckers of tomorrow need them! n