10-4 Magazine September 2024

10-4 Magazine / September 2024 13 made, and he also did Dalton’s interior, which includes the floor and upholstery. For Chris, he has always looked up to his grandparents for both their marriage and their work ethic. He said, “I wouldn’t have anything if I didn’t have that.” He holds his kids in high regard as two individuals that have inspired him since their birth, because they always gave him the drive to do what he was supposed to do. Lastly, thanks to his father, who he has always looked up to as a huge influence, teaching him manners and respect, his cool cars and trucks, and for teaching Chris the simple moniker, “If you’re doing it, you better do it right.” According to Dalton, the people who have been most influential in his life and who he is thankful for would be, first, his dad, because he couldn’t and wouldn’t have done it without him. Another is his grandpa Don (mom’s dad) who has been there every step of the way in support. Dalton thinks his grandpa loves this life for Dalton even more than Dalton loves it for himself! Don finds great joy in seeing his grandchildren doing good. Talking with Dalton, he is actually the 5th generation in trucking. Don has old invoices from his late wife’s (Dalton’s grandma) side of the family tracing their freight relocating lineage back to the horse-drawn carriage hauling days of the late 1920s or early 1930s. That is a pretty cool bit of history, there! Today, residing outside of Neoga, IL, the duo has settled into a nice trucking gig while going to truck shows when they can. Chris does his dedicated run and is usually home in the early afternoon, then goes into his upholstery shop for the rest of the day. Their favorite part of the shows is the people, always the people, whether it is lifelong friends or new friends they’ve made. When they aren’t trucking, they can be found tinkering with their trucks, working on the project cars they have, cruising in their cars, and some side-by-side riding in between. Both said that trucking takes up the majority of their time, along with taking care of the farm and home. Special thanks from Chris to so many that helped him through his journey so far including his parents for their guidance, grandparents for his work ethic, Steve Gordon, Bart Williamson, JasonBaugher, OleMooch, CJ Behl, Arlynand Linda Workman, Matt Neblock for wanting everything perfect, Michelle Hennesay for keeping tabs on his books, and to many other friends and family