Whether it's celebrating 100 years of hauling freight or commiserating over keeping three generations on the road, this week, we observe both longstanding traditions and trucking's current workforce in this week's blog on good things in trucking.
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Kenworth celebrates centennial with truck parade
The Kenworth truck assembly plant in Chillicothe, Ohio, recently held its second annual Kenworth Truck Parade in downtown Chillicothe. This year, the parade marked Kenworth's 100th anniversary.
The 2023 Kenworth Truck Parade featured more than 50 new, classic, and customized Kenworth trucks, including models built in the 1920s and 1930s, a 1976 Bicentennial W900 VIT-200, two Liberty Edition Kenworths—a K100 Cabover and W900 Conventional, a 1984 W900B from Australia, as well as Kenworth's 100th anniversary Signature Edition T680 and Limited Edition W900 trucks.
To commemorate Kenworth's 100th anniversary, the trucks featured in the parade started with those built in the 1920s. They followed in chronological order, ending with trucks built in 2023 to showcase Kenworth's history and advancements throughout the years. Drivers across the U.S. and Canada traveled to Chillicothe to showcase their trucks. The parade began at dusk, allowing drivers to show off as they made their way through historic downtown Chillicothe.
See also: Gallery: Peterbilt enthusiasts display 'Pride and Class'
Leading up to the truck parade, the Kenworth Chillicothe plant held events at its facility for drivers and their families participating in and attending the parade. Drivers had an opportunity to tour the Kenworth Chillicothe plant to see where most of Kenworth's trucks are built. The plant also hosted an employee family event on the plant's property during the parade day.
Chris Koenig, who owns the Kenworth 75th anniversary Limited Edition Kenworth W900L that was used to haul a special Kenworth history trailer for Kenworth's 75th anniversary tour, showed off his big rig at the parade and attended events held at the Chillicothe plant. The same trailer, owned by the Koenig family, was recently reimagined and used during this centennial year as a mobile history exhibit to celebrate Kenworth's 100th anniversary.
To support the local community, the Kenworth Chillicothe plant and the United Way of Ross County coordinated a 50/50 raffle, with proceeds going to the United Way of Ross County. During the parade, Kenworth Chillicothe employees and United Way of Ross County members walked around the event to sell raffle tickets. The Kenworth Chillicothe plant also raised money for the nonprofit organization through sponsorships of the VIP area along the truck parade route. More than $22,000 was donated to the United Way of Ross County.
Truckstop survey reveals drivers' love of dogs
In recognition of National Take Your Pet to Work Week, Truckstop commissioned a survey of 500 U.S.-based owner-operators and found that half of the respondents (50%) travel with their pets. Forty-six percent of those surveyed would consider a different occupation if they could not travel with their pet(s).
Truckstop asked some of their customers to share their personal stories about how they found their pet companion and the therapeutic benefits their pets provide:
Constance and Jim Ross' Giant Alaskan Malamute, Milo, became a military surrender after his owner was deployed overseas. Milo was transported from a rescue in Santa Barbara, California, to Oregon where Jim and Constance met him. He now rides in the hot shot with Jim.
"Milo's previous owner was in tears when he had to bring him to the rescue. It pulled at my heartstrings and now I know why—Milo is such a well-trained dog full of personality and he's just happy all the time," Constance Ross said. "We rely on local shipments and all the workers we work with remember Milo. He comes on short loops because the heat right now is horrible but rides hot shot in the front seat. He's a great companion on the road."
Bendix employees help build homes
After building the frame of each house, the Bendix volunteers used permanent markers to inscribe messages and well-wishes on beams and walls. The houses were then loaded for transport and donated as Habitat for Humanity homes—one for Wayne County, which is south of Cleveland, and the other for Champaign County, west of Columbus. Construction will be completed on each home later this year.
The effort marks the sixth year Bendix has helped build homes, with 15 built to date.
Riding strong three generations long
Thousands of drivers picked up their phones last week to wish their dads a Happy Father's Day. For the Hardy family, a call won't be necessary because three generations of Hardy men work together year-round driving for IMC out of Norfolk, Virginia.
McDaniel Hardy Sr., 75, McDaniel Hardy Jr., 52, and Daniel Hardy, 31, are the father, son, and grandson team who ride up and down Route 58 daily. For McDaniel Hardy Sr., the road to becoming a driver began in 1968 when he started driving a box truck at Smithfield Packaging. Over the years, he's owned eight trucks and driven routes from "just up the road" to "coast to coast" and everything in between.
"When my grandson Daniel was 6 years old, I took him with me for a cross-country delivery to California and back," said Hardy Sr. "We had fun, and when we returned, I told him I had another load to drive to the other coast. He said, 'Well, I'll just see you when you get back, Grandpa!'" Lucky for all three men, it turns out that driving was in their blood, and the family carries that legacy to this day.
"I've always been a daddy's boy," said McDaniel Hardy Jr. "My dad left every Sunday night, and when he got home on Friday nights, I'd be in the driveway jumping up and down when I heard his truck coming around the corner. I missed him when he was gone. So, when my kids got to be older teenagers, I followed in his footsteps and got my driver certification."
At first, Hardy Jr. drove box trucks delivering groceries, dairy milk, and such. Later, he bought his own truck, became an owner-operator, and never looked back.
"I got tired of running that distance on the eastern shore," he says. "One day I saw a truck on the side of the road on Route 460 and I stopped, test drove it, and bought it. Everyone wanted so many years of experience, but IMC gave me a chance as a rookie driver. I like working here, and I've never driven for anybody else since."
Over the years, he often leaned on his dad's experience and guidance.
"I learned from him how to trust the truck and trust my judgment," Hardy Jr. said. "It's not all fun and games because driving is serious business. The truck looks majestic when you see it coming down the road, but it's a job that requires knowledge and experience—both of which I gain from my dad."
And that guidance trickles down to Hardy Jr.'s son as well.
"I knew as a young boy I wanted to drive trucks," Daniel Hardy said. "I couldn't wait until summertime because I could go driving with them. I remember how it made me feel watching them come down the road, and now I have a son of my own who loves it the way I did when I was little."
Daniel went to driving school in 2016 and bought his first truck in 2020 amid the pandemic.
"The night before my first day of driving, I was so nervous," said Daniel. "Once I got in the cab, all the memories returned to me and I was fine. I love working with my dad and granddad. We go into the port single file and we are at the yard at the same time. At IMC, they keep us together and that's the way we like it."
Hardy, Jr. said that driving is the best career choice he could have ever made. "There's nothing like getting up in the morning, turning that key, and hearing that motor run," he said. "I really enjoy what I do. In the end, driving here pays off more than a typical 9 to 5 job. When the opportunity came to drive here, I made it happen. I don't see doing anything different in my career. I plan to be driving here until I retire."
For Hardy, Sr., driving has been a lifetime endeavor, nearly 55 years in the making. "It's a pretty good record to be out here driving for 54 years and do it safely," he said. "If you don't have patience, this is not the career for you. Patience makes everything safer. However, IMC has us in and out quickly now, which is nice. I thank God for blessing me to be out here that long and I'll continue to drive with my boys just as long as I've got my health and my strength."
TCA Highway Angel saves unconscious man in Maryland
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named Willie Kouneski, from Burkittsville, Maryland, a Highway Angel for stopping to rescue a trapped, unconscious car crash victim. Kouneski works for ABF Freight out of Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Around 1 a.m., Kouneski was traveling home from work on Route 70 in Sykesville, Maryland, when he witnessed a car crashed on the opposite side of the highway.
"I saw a car up in the trees, on the other side of the road," he said. "I could tell it was a wrecked car— it was dark—people were just driving by."
Kouneski and the driver of another vehicle stopped to check on the driver, and Kourneski called 911. It was hard to tell if anyone was in the vehicle, so he yelled, "Is anyone in there?" He then heard a voice.
"We opened up the door—the other person took out a knife and busted out the back window and unlocked the back doors," Kouneski said. "The guy in the front seat was leaning over, breathing weird. He had heavy breath, so we sat him up straight in the seat."
He said the driver was unconscious and the airbag had been deployed. Kouneski stayed with him until emergency personnel arrived and he was taken away on a stretcher.
"If it was me in that car, I would want somebody to get me," Kouneski said. "I did what I would want anybody to do."
