10-4 Magazine / October 2026 13 He and his wife Kirsten, who have been married for almost two years and together for about five years, would love to one day own their own hay ranch, some acreage, and possibly even some cattle. Kirsten used to work in the office at a big dairy, but now she is a stay-at-home mom, raising their daughter Elaine (who is 10 months old) and their son Cody (7), who came from a previous relationship Jim had. She also helps out a lot with the business, doing all the filings and paperwork, running to get parts, operating the squeeze, bringing him lunch – anything that needs to be done to support the team! She also grew up in the Petaluma area, and she is just awesome (Jim couldn’t do it without her). Being that Kirsten worked at a dairy, you might think that is how they met, but it isn’t... they met at the racetrack! When he was really young, Jim started racing outlaw go karts on dirt tracks, then larger types of winged sprint cars, even winning a championship when he was ten years old in a micro sprint car. Kirsten’s dad had racecars, so that is how they met. Growing up and racing at tracks like Red Bluff, Lakeport, and Petaluma, Jim got to watch and race against guys like Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick (both NASCAR superstars now) as they were coming up, as they are both from Jim’s area and about the same age. Although he doesn’t have much time (or money) to race these days, Jim still has a 600cc micro sprint car that he takes out as often as he can – and last time he took it out, he won! With plans to rebuild his motor (which now has over 800,000 miles on it) and refresh the paint job on his cabover in 2027, Jim also has a wind fairing that he plans to get painted and then mounted atop the cabover. He would also like to build another trailer sometime soon, as his current old Fruehauf is pretty worn out. Still owning his dad’s old cabover, Jim would consider letting “Old Blue” go to someone who was going to use it either on the road or on a ranch. It is a 1985 Freightliner with a 75” cab, a hopped-up Big Cam 300 engine, and a 13-speed. The truck and trailer are just sitting at Jim’s house now, not being used, rotting away – and that is killing him. So, if you think it might be something you want or could use, look him up and give him a call. And speaking of his dad, Jim’s parents, David and Dina, divorced when he was in first grade. David went on to get remarried shortly thereafter to Jim’s stepmom Kristine when Jim was in fourth grade. The two of them moved to Bowie, TX (just northwest of Dallas) to manage a ranch there from 2022 to 2024 at which point, the owner, after having some medical issues, sold the ranch. Since then, they moved back to Santa Rosa, CA and Jim’s dad got a job at the Sonoma County Water District (this guy just never stops). Jim also has an older brother named Jack (38), along with a stepbrother named Matt (36) and a stepsister named Willow (35). With a long list of people to thank, first and foremost is his family, including his grandparents on each side of the family – Leon and Nadine and Ted and Ann, along with his parents, and his wife. Not wanting to forget anyone in particular, he just wanted to send out a huge “thank you” to everyone who helped build this truck (and others), kept him busy working all these years, or just offered support in one way or another. No man is an island – it takes a village – and his village includes a lot of really great people. And if his son or daughter ever decides to follow in their dad’s footsteps, Jim would gladly help them get started and absolutely love running up and down the road with them. Today, hauling hay and cattle in Southern Oregon, Nevada and Northern California, Jim works hard for his family, but since he loves what he does, it’s hardly “work” to him. Although Jim is a simple man, for the most part, he is willing to change or adapt as necessary, and in today’s trucking environment, being a little flexible is an important trait to possess. Like choosing to drive an old Freightliner cabover (the working man’s truck) fitted with a newer CARB-compliant motor. Not many people would do that, but guys like Jim Beck, who suffer from that dreaded hay fever disease, don’t have many options left to continue fighting the sickness. n
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy