10-4 Magazine September 2023

The Veteran’s View: By Dennis Mitchell What is it they say... you don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it helps. If you’re not a little bit nuts when you start, we can always train you! Let’s take a short test to see if you are a worthy and loyal truck enthusiast. How many brands or name plates can you name? Do you know what color a Cat engine is? Do you do the arm pump when a large car drives past on the street? Okay, here’s a tough one – when giving directions do you start by referencing the guy on the corner who drives the green W900L, saying, “Be sure to turn left at his driveway.” Now this is the deal breaker: what is more important, dollars per mile or smiles per mile? If you said “smiles per mile” then you are one of us. Welcome to the club. This month is the end of summer and soon all the local truck shows will be done for the year. Fortunately, there are plenty of pictures to remind us of the good times hanging out with friends, taking in the light shows, and driving in parades. Can you believe 10-4 Magazine has been recording trucking memories for 30 years and counting? That takes a special kind of truck nut! Sure, I’m one of those unstable individuals, but there are so many more who devote their time and energy to preserving our history through their stories and the great pics we see in not only this magazine, but others throughout the industry. Semi crazy isn’t something you wear like a crucifix or even in the manner of your clothing. It’s in your soul, deep down, and it becomes the power that drives you. It’s the secret sensation of, “WOW! Look at that!!” as you can’t tear your eyes away from a vintage long hood standing tall in the sunlight. Then there’s that COE hooked to a container you were watching when your car drove off the road and nearly ran down the stop sign. I have to hand it to you, that was a great save, and when you jumped out and checked the rear tire, like you planned to stop there, that was a nice touch. That’s what I’m talking about – the people who are nuts for trucks. We tend to incorporate words into our vocabulary that reflect our passion. For instance, when my hair started to turn gray, I told people they were chrome highlights, and we refer to my wrinkles as pinstripes. As a whole, most of us see ourselves as an extension of the equipment we drive. The style of truck doesn’t matter, if you drive it long enough, the miles will show. The real crazy ones wear them as a badge of honor. My rule of thumb is that my Peterbilt truck still looks good at 60 mph from across the median. Talking with the publisher of this magazine, Dan the Man, earlier today, we were chatting about what was happening in 1993 that is relevant to trucking today. Since I’m old enough to remember way back then, I mentioned the earliest truck show competitors of that time have gone on to influence later generations of truck nuts. I’m not one to name drop, but here are a few many of you grew up watching and reading about in this publication and others, as well. I can’t name them all but here are a few who stand out. First on my list is Kim Jaikes, who has been writing about the history of trucking for years, and driving even longer. When I think about living the lifestyle, no one tops her level of truck crazy. When she and her husband John got married, they had a transportation themed wedding, right down to the music from Smokey and the Bandit. Did I mention it was held in conjunction with the biggest truck show in the Midwest, Iowa 80’s Truckers Jamboree? Now that’s what I call ate up with truckin. Another common face in 1993 at most truck shows was a lady known for saying, “I can’t make you rich, but I can make you famous.” She was one of the 62 10-4 Magazine / September 2023 SEMI CRAZY PEOPLE!