10-4 Magazine September 2023

10-4 Magazine / September 2023 29 out and wait. Some things never change! We still had to install the sleeper boot and the seats. And then away he went. The old truck found a wonderful home, and our dealership only lost a little money (not nearly as much as they would have if I didn’t fix the rig up a bit). Since that build, our shop has been customizing trucks and helping people get their dream trucks ordered and built, as you have seen in my ar ticles in 10-4 Magazine for the last 17 years (since February 2006). So, with the theme of 1993 and still going strong, this truck, and its proud owner, fits into the mix nicely this month. Born in Queensland, Australia, Dale lost his father at age 11, so for most of his life, he hasn’t had a vision of what having a father is like. This caused him to live his life by trial and error, but he remembers very well what his Uncle Ken said when he was 12 years old. His uncle poked him in the soft par t of his neck and told him, “Nothing good comes of alcohol or drugs.” Dale said, “Man, that simple comment has resonated with me my whole life, and I knew that stuff wasn’t for me.” Dale went to school and worked cattle for his uncle during breaks. He went to regular school until the 10th grade, and then chose another option. Over there, you had a choice to continue school or pick other options. He chose to leave regular school and spent two years in agricultural college (1989-1990). Having moved to America, his sister and mom invited him to come for a visit in 1992. They were in the For t Wor th area of Texas. When he arrived, he met up with some college kids that were into rodeo and horses. Dale said, “We star ted in Nor th Cowtown and wound up at Billy Bob’s on a Thursday evening.” They introduced Dale to a saddle shop owner, and Dale ended up helping them some while he was there, because he was already familiar with leather working. When Dale left and went back to Australia, the owner of the saddle shop said, “If you want to come back, I will hire you as full-time help.” Even though it was a shor t visit to the States, Dale found out fast that he liked soda pop with ice in it, drive up banks, and automobiles that had A/C in them. Apparently, those things were not common “down under” in Australia. In June of 1993 he returned to the United States, got a Social Security number, and went to work. He worked in the saddle shop until the fall of 1996 when he purchased a one-ton Dodge and a 32-foot gooseneck trailer and star ted hauling cattle for a local guy. He did that for four years until he bought the truck seen here from me. This truck became very special to him very quickly. The year model was the same year he came to America, and his initials are in the VIN number of the truck, so it was obviously meant to be. The truck had 745,000 miles on it when he purchased it from me on January 17, 2001. Unfor tunately, in July 2003, he had to overhaul it for the first time, due to the fuel tank heaters failing. That rebuild went 1,260,000 miles until he had to have it overhauled again. It now has 700,000 miles on that rebuild, and Dale still makes a run pretty much every week with it. Today, the truck now has over 3,000,000 miles on it, and it is still going strong. Although the road has not always been smooth, he has learned, “It is what it is.” He tries not to worry about stuff he cannot control, which is pretty much everything! At one point, he had another old 359 Peterbilt that he loved that was the same year of his dad’s passing, and he had a driver in it. He built up his operation to include three trailers, but when that previously mentioned driver retired, Dale sold everything except the one truck and trailer you see here. He said, “Life is a lot better. I can shake a man’s hand and look him in the eye and tell him that I will do the best job I can, and that really reduces the things for me to worry about.” When he is not out trucking, Dale enjoys spending time with his sweetie, Kristel. They have been together for three years now. Dale also has a wonderful daughter named Danielle (19). Over the years, Dale and I have kept in touch, and I consider him to be a special friend and his truck holds a special place in my hear t and my history. I am so glad I got to do this special feature on both of them, in honor of 10-4 Magazine’s 30th anniversary. Here’s to 30 more years of playing with trucks! n