78 10-4 Magazine / March 2025 Learning about truck shows on social media, now that his baby was all put back together, he took it to his first show at the 75 Chrome Shop in Florida in 2021. It was here, not that far from his home in Orlando, that he dipped his toe into the truck show pond – and that changed his life. Before he went, he wasn’t sure if people would like him and his truck, but both were received very positively. 10-4 Magazine was there that year, and my editor (and 10-4 owner) Daniel Linss remembers taking the time to meet Raiko at that event and giving him a pat on the back for customizing an FLD. Dan thought Raiko and his truck were both super cool! The next truck show he took his completed masterpiece to was Walcott in 2022 and, it’s sad to say, he was afraid that he might be bullied. Thankfully, Come see us at booth #38529 at MATS in Louisville, KY! that did not happen, and he began to meet people and form new friendships that continue to grow today. In 2023, he did ten shows, and he has trophies at home from most of them. Playing with the heavy hitters in Louisville in 2024, he took home 2nd place in the Custom Antique class. At the Walcott Truckers Jamboree in 2024, all the drivers in the show picked “Little Blue” and Raiko as their Driver’s Choice winner! This one speaks volumes, and I know that it’s the award every driver at that show would love to receive the most. This “Little Blue” truck isn’t some big ol’ W900 Kenworth or a Peterbilt 379 – she’s a 1995 Freightliner FLD with an integral sleeper. But she proves what a lot of hard work and love can do. This is one well put together, clean and classy, little work truck! Some trucks just go to shows, but this one is the way Raiko earns his living. This is a humble driver who will help others. When we got to visit him at his house, he had just finished driving a friend’s truck for two weeks after this friend had lost his son. He also recently went home to help his mom after a hurricane, and I’m sure there are many more people he has helped. Cuba is not that big of an island, so trucking there is much different than here in the States. Raiko said it was more fun trucking in Cuba – here in the USA, it’s more lonely. I think if he had been able to truck like we did back in the 70s to the early 2000s, he would feel a bit different. We had a network back then, and we have a lot of friends that we made back then that are still friends today. Sharing the good times we had back then, we also talked about how different things are today, and most of us would sadly agree these changes are not for the better. I think Raiko Graveran would have fit in back in the “old days” just fine. He has that old school mentality, an amazing work ethic, and absolutely loves trucks and trucking. He thanks God for all his blessings and says “thank you” to this country for letting him become a citizen and allowing him to live the American Dream! Those of you who were lucky enough to be born here in the USA need to stop and appreciate what you have, because if we don’t keep fighting for it, the American Dream will cease to exist for future generations. n
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy