10-4 Magazine September 2023

Editor’s Choice: By Daniel J. Linss Welcome to 10-4 Magazine’s 30th anniversary issue! Established back in September 1993, a lot has changed over the past three decades, but much remains the same. Our theme for this momentous occasion (30 Years and Still Rollin’) illustrates how we feel about reaching this milestone. If you told me back in 1993 I’d still be doing this “job” in 2023, I probably would not have believed it, but here we are! And we are bigger, better, and stronger than ever, thanks to an amazing group of contributors and loyal fans, advertisers, and supporters. Heck, we even own and operate our very own charity truck show now, too!! So, how did we get here? Founded back in 1993 in Southern California as a local advertiser for the trucking industry, our first issue, which was published in September 1993, had no stories, was only 24 black and white pages, and was printed on thin (and messy for your fingers) newsprint paper. We printed 10,000 copies of that first issue and randomly sent them to trucking companies and supporting businesses in and around Southern California. We also began setting up racks at various places in the area, establishing our initial mass distribution network, which today has grown to over 275 locations, in about 29 states, and five different countries. During most of our first year, being primarily a classified truck advertiser, we printed two issues a month. Our first “cover story” landed on the October 1, 1993 issue (the third edition) and was literally just that – a small black and white picture of a 1953 GMC 906 owned by Dick Huizenga, with a few sentences printed next to it right there on the cover. The April 15, 1994 issue featured our first full-page cover story printed inside the magazine (still just black and white). In the beginning, our tagline on the cover was “A Trucker’s Best Friend,” but in July 1994, after changing the name to 10-4 Express Magazine for legal reasons, we adopted the tagline “The Truck and Equipment Advertiser” and switched to a once-a-month format. By mid-1994, spot colors had been introduced to ads inside the magazine, and the cover picture was now printed in color, as well. In May 1995 we coined the phrase, “Don’t Get In Your Truck Without It!” and used that on the cover for many years. In February 1996 we introduced a full-color cover on glossy paper, and then in November 1998 we began inserting a few full-color glossy pages of ads into the center of the book. In July 2000 we switched our name back to 10-4 Magazine (and copyrighted it) and introduced our tagline “For Today’s Trucker!” which we still use today. But our biggest addition – the two-page full-color centerfold – still had yet to make its official debut. Making its debut in March 2001, our first centerfold featured Frank Schott’s cool turquoise and pink 1946 Kenworth hay truck. The centerfold was a huge hit that helped build our fan base – everyone loved them! Around that same time, in 2000, we debuted our first annual poster, which featured various cover trucks from the previous years. After that, each poster every year has featured the 12 covers from the previous year. We hand these posters out at the truck shows we attend all year. And speaking of truck shows, we go to a lot across the country. Supporting the culture and community of truck shows has become a cornerstone of our focus as a publication. So much so, we acquired the Truckin’ For Kids (TFK) charity truck show back in 2021 to continue the tradition that show had after 40 years of running – and so far that has proved to be an amazing experience. Running a truck show and going to a truck show is an entirely different 10 10-4 Magazine / September 2023 CELEBRATING 30 YEARS