10-4 Magazine May 2022

10-4 Magazine / May 2022 35 running money for three weeks of fuel, and enough money for your insurance and tags. The more you can do on your own, the better off you will be. Don’t drain your account, but continue replenishing and growing that running money to get yourself ahead.” Talking about the pros and cons of hauling cattle, Rory said, “I have met some of the best people in the South and Southeast. The people you come across and the freedom that comes with it is unsurpassed. The DOT doesn’t give livestock haulers much grief because of what we haul, which is nice. On the downside, which many can’t get used to, is the long hours, sleepless nights, and the miles you must put in.” Regardless, he stated there is nothing else he would rather do than haul cattle. Special thanks from Rory to his wife Heather for being a partner in both business and in life, for her love, and for her support. She does an amazing job handling everything at home when he is out on the road. And thanks to his dad for taking him riding in the truck when he was younger and for the support he gives today. Thanks also to Rory’s granddad, Lloyd “Buster” Cook, for being one of his biggest influences in the industry, hauling livestock until he couldn’t anymore, and who unfortunately passed away in April of 2021. Thanks to the following great friends for their support and for pushing Rory to do better (and for always being there for him): Gavin Moore, Lewis Lyle, Dalen Miller, Mark Gearig, James Curtis, Lance Volker, and Clay Peuser. Lastly, thanks to all his close family and other friendships for their continued help and support over the years. I met Rory’s truck before meeting Rory, as he was sleeping at the stockyards in Oak Park, GA. Oddly, I didn’t see this truck when I lived in Missouri. It took almost two years and a move to Georgia for me to see the truck – in Georgia. I was impressed with the look of the truck and the classiness of this 379 (it was still solid blue then). After a short time, I found out who the owner was and managed to have a couple conversations about him and the truck and knew they would be great candidates for an article. However, I kind of went into this blind, as Rory said he was repainting the truck and I really didn’t know what to expect. With social media working the way it does, I was able to see pictures of the finished truck posted up prior to my trip to Missouri, and I was not disappointed. I usually try to set aside a whole day to photograph a truck just so there is no rush, however this time was a little different, as I was making my way towards home from Utah. I’m grateful Mother Nature didn’t have other plans, or this may not have gone as smoothly as it did. We photographed at a city property across from the Deluxe Truck Stop, then in downtown St. Joseph, and finished at The Barn at Schwinn Produce Farm in Leavenworth, KS. Thank you to Rory for the great conversations and all your hard work in completing this amazing restoration in time. This stripe pattern has become one of my favorites, and I have found several other cattle haulers who sport this pattern, as well. Each division has their own uniqueness in the trucking industry, but cattle haulers are a breed of their own, and they are definitely like no other. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe. n