10-4 Magazine October 2023

12 10-4 Magazine / October 2023 miles on. Then, in 2014, he got his next new truck – a 2014 Kenwor th T680 (Truck #124), and drove it for eight years, spinning 800,000 miles on the odometer. In January of this year (2023) Eric got his next and current brand-new truck – the 2023 Kenwor th T880 Limited Edition (Truck #156) seen on our cover and centerfold this month and on these pages. All the trucks are painted the same colors – Medium Red Metallic with white, tan, gold, orange, and red accents – and Eric’s is no exception. Powered by a 500-hp Cummins X15 hooked to a 13-speed and 3.42 rears, the daycab tractor features stripes and pinstriping that is similar on all their trucks. Interesting fact: the door logos and truck numbers are vinyl, but they are hand-painted vinyl. I did not even know that was a thing! Apparently, it makes the logos and truck numbers look hand painted (which they are), but they are easy to remove when it comes time to sell the truck. Some of the extras Eric’s truck has includes smooth steps, six-inch Dynaflex pipes with flattop tips, a chrome swan, a semi-custom front bumper with square ends and no extra holes, and plenty of added lights. The truck also has stainless drop panels with extra lights, a RoadWorks visor, a ProTech polished deck plate, storage box and chain hanger, Hogebuilt stainless half-fenders, and a custom all-silver KW emblem on the front. Most of the accessories for the trucks in the fleet are purchased through our friends at Schott Par ts & Accessories in Salem, OR. The shop at Freres does most of the work on their trucks, but Eric has been known to do a few things on his own, as well. Freres can trace their roots back to the hills above the Little Nor th Fork of the Nor th Santiam River, where, in 1922, Freres family patriarch T.G. Freres had a small, por table timber cutting operation. What began 100+ years ago as one man with his two horses, Charlie and Trixie, has since grown into Oregon’s premier producer of veneer and engineered wood products. Star ting out as Freres Lumber in 1922, they traded in their gang mill for a lathe in 1963, and didn’t look back. Since then, Freres has focused on producing high-quality veneer-based products. Today, operating multiple locations, their companies include Freres Engineered Wood, Freres Timber, and Evergreen BioPower LLC. They are committed to not only providing good jobs, but careers and wages that suppor t families, and are proud to employ nearly 500 individuals in the Nor th Santiam Canyon. With three generations currently working to ensure that the company will last another 100 years, their employees are their family, as well – and they treat them as such. As one of the largest privately-owned, independent wood products manufacturers on the West Coast, Freres has a history of being mindful about its environmental impact and observing sustainable management practices throughout its operations. Being innovative is in their DNA. In 2007 they built a cogeneration facility that burns woody waste material with no other beneficial use to generate electricity and heat. This facility generates enough electricity annually to supply 5,000 households, while also providing heat for the mill. In 2017, Freres developed and now makes what could possibly be the most significant new mass timber product in the world – Mass Ply Panels (MPP). Mass Ply products are new and patented, veneer-based, engineered wood products that provide superior performance characteristics over mass timber products such as CLT, Glulam beams, and solid sawn lumber. The foundational building block of each Mass Ply Product is Freres Structural Composite Lumber, which consists of