10-4 Magazine November 2024

14 10-4 Magazine / November 2024 the truck frame. One day, Chandler would like to inherit or buy the Kenwor th from Ken, then fix it up and take it shows, so he can tell stories about his grandpa and the truck he drove for 50 years. Until then, he has hopes of one day buying his own log truck and going out on his own, following in the footsteps of all his forefathers. A typical day for Ken star ts at around 2:15 AM, and if he’s home by 3:00 PM, he calls that a shor t day. He normally hauls between two and four loads a day and drives on average about 350 miles a day. He wanted to thank his wife Vicki for being his biggest suppor ter forever, and always being by his side. At 77 years old, Ken Stearns plans to keep driving until he no longer wants to do it, or his health will not allow him to, but for now, he still loves it. Driving old MORT for all these years has been a real pleasure for Ken, and as soon as he makes that one last payment, maybe he will be able to star t thinking about slowing down. But for now, get out of his way, because he has logs to haul! n