10-4 Magazine March 2023

Trucker Talk: By John & Kim Jaikes Back in August of 2022, at the Waupun Truck-N-Show, John and I were extremely impressed with this beautiful black, silver, and blue 1973 Kenworth W900A. During the show, we got to chat with Richard Compty, who had put in 80 hours detailing this old girl to perfection. Looking inside, outside, and underneath, we could not find one place that he missed. I knew right then and there that this truck was going to be featured one day in one of my upcoming articles – and well, that “one day” is today! Richard told us this beautiful rig belonged to Ray Leslie Jr. Ray restored the truck in memory of his dad. Richard also told us that it still works, pulling a stainless spread-axle reefer trailer, when needed. Richard owns Compty Brothers Detailing and travels around southwest Wisconsin in the summer, from shop to shop, buffing and detailing trucks. In the winter, he heads to Florida, so he can keep working. If you want him to work on your truck, call (608) 475-1222. Things happen for a reason and, as I’ve quoted Cathy Sherman before, “Our neighborhood is 3,000 miles wide.” I was delivering in Kenosha, WI, and this beautiful Leslie Transport truck from Spring Green, WI, was in the dock next to me. The next week, same thing, but he was leaving as I got the call my bills were done, so I was not able to talk to him. What are the odds that not long after that, John and I, while at the TA in Jackson, GA, were parked right next to this very same truck on the fuel island. So, John starts talking to the driver, Jerry Sabanos, and we inquired about the A-Model we had seen at Waupun. We exchanged phone numbers and had a few great conversations. Jerry has been a driver at Leslie Transport for five years now, and he could not have talked more highly of the company. At the end of our talk, he gave us all the information we needed to get this story rolling. Ray Leslie Sr. pulled a flatbed for Madison Silos from the time he was 21, to his mid-40s, when the company closed. Ray Jr. got to ride with his dad on his east coast runs, and he got to learn the trade firsthand from the best teacher a boy could have – his dad. They say that trucking gets in your blood, but I think it would be fair to say that Ray Jr. was born with trucking already in his blood. When the company closed, it was getting harder for Ray Sr. to unload the trailers 80 10-4 Magazine / March 2023 DAD’S DREAM