10-4 Magazine October 2022

Cover Feature: By Daniel J. Linss Depending on what each driver prefers to haul, Jason tries to be as accommodating as possible and currently has flatbeds, step decks, vans, reefers, belly dumps, and bull racks in the fleet. Some of his drivers prefer new trucks, while others want to run older equipment so, as stated before, he tries to cater to his driver’s wants and needs as much as he can. His father Bob, at 77 years old, still drives for the company, running a 1997 Freightliner Classic XL with a 12.7 Detroit. Having a soft spot for these old Freightliner Classics, Jason hopes to one day fix this rig up and customize it, as it was the first “big hood” truck his dad ever bought. Born in 1998 in Bismarck, Nor th Dakota, Boe DelaBarre, along with his brother Hunter, Trucking has never been an easy career, and these days, it is even more challenging. To successfully stay in the game you need to love it, be completely committed, and just keep pushin’ on – no matter what! For young Boe DelaBarre (24) of DelaBarre Trucking in Bismarck, ND, this philosophy has helped him overcome some early tests and trials and kept him focused as a third-generation truck driver, along with his older brother Hunter (26). Following in the footsteps of their father, Jason DelaBarre (52), and their grandfather Bob DelaBarre (77), both Boe and Hunter have cool rides, and both have worked hard to get them at very young ages. With roots in both farming and trucking, the DelaBarre family farm was located about 55 miles west of Bismarck in Glen Ullin, ND. Bob DelaBarre grew grain and raised cattle, which eventually led to trucks and trucking. Forming Bob’s Trucking around 1975 with the purchase of a 1970 big bunk Freightliner cabover, Bob mostly hauled grain and cattle, but as time passed and the operation grew to five trucks, the company began to haul other commodities, as well. Growing up in this environment, Boe and Hunter’s dad Jason enjoyed farming, but gravitated more toward the trucks. Back in those days, it was not uncommon for kids to star t trucking way before they were legally allowed to, and such was the case for Jason. His first solo trip in a truck with a load, following his father’s taillights closely, was at the age of 13. He didn’t even have a car license yet, never mind a CDL. Later, after getting his car license, he remembers rolling through scales, with his hat pulled low and his sunglasses on, trying to be nonchalant and fit in. Sometimes they waved him through, and sometimes they stopped him, but even then, they did not cite him or shut him down, they just politely suggested he get his CDL, and then let him go on his way. It was a different time, for sure. Joining the company “legally” as a driver around 1988, Jason later purchased his own truck from his dad – a 1996 Freightliner Classic XL – in the late 1990s, shor tly before forming his own company. Star ting DelaBarre Trucking in 2000, the following year, after his mother passed away from brain cancer, Jason bought his dad out and moved all his trucks, trailers, drivers, and customers to his company. Today, with about 20 trucks and a handful of owner operators, DelaBarre Trucking pulls all sor ts of trailers and hauls all kinds of various freight. 10 10-4 Magazine / October 2022 KEEP PUSHIN’ ON