ICE ROAD TRUCKER TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS

Alex Debogorski, “The Original Ice Road Trucker” and star of a television show, will meet fans and sign autographs in the Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions booth at The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas, on August 26-28, 2010.

Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions (BBTS), a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, will be in the Dallas Convention Center, at booth #16089. He’ll be featured with the Firestone-brand truck tire team.

Few truckers are more “Born to Truck” than Alex Debogorski, having sat behind the wheel for 38 years. He’s been driving the treacherous ice roads of the Northwest Territories, Canada for 28 years.

Described as a larger-than-life character and something of a good-luck-charm to his fellow truckers, Debogorski typically pulls the first load onto the ice each season.

Debogorski is traveling to Dallas from his hometown of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, where he lives with his wife, Louise. He and his wife are the proud parents of 11 children and nine grandchildren.

The Firestone-brand truck tire team is pleased to host Debogorski in its Great American Trucking Show booth #16089 located in the Dallas Convention Center.

Debogorski will appear on Thursday, August 26 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; on Friday, August 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and on Saturday, August 28 from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Subscribers to Custom Rigs should be seeing their latest copy any day now as the Fall 2010 issue is being shipped out this week according to the editors.

“This is another steller issue, filled with the reading material truckers who love custom big rigs will appreciate,” says editor Bruce W. Smith.

“We have coverage of the Wildwood 75 Pride & Polish event as well as the East Coast Large Cars truck show in New Jersey.”

Smith says the newest issue of the quarterly custom big-rig enthuisiast’s magazine includes an article on suiciding doors and a buyer’s guide on the parts and accessories to turn a stock truck’s “nose” into a  “thing of beauty.”

The Fall issue also includes the first round of the GearWrench Tool Giveaway winners, tech tips and customizing tricks, as well as features on Todd & Beth Roccapriore’s “Widow Maker” and Homer Shcultz III’s custom wrecker.

Smith says the magazine can be found at select Flying J truck stops and at Custom Rigs “Preferred Partners” chrome & parts shops across the country.

Produced by Randall-Reilly Business Media and Information, which also produces the Great American Trucking Show and Great West Truck Show, the Charlotte Diesel Super Show will be a one-of-a-kind outdoor extravaganza. Activities include industry-related displays, truck drag races and a Custom Rigs Pride & Polish truck beauty contest where contestants will compete for cash and prizes.

Attendees can also register to win a free 150-mph ride around the Charlotte Motor Speedway track in a NASCAR racecar. On Saturday night, country music star John Rich, formerly of Big & Rich, will perform a free concert.

“Attendees at the Charlotte Diesel Super Show will be able to see the latest truck and construction equipment, watch live demonstrations, be able to participate in ride and drives and enjoy all sorts of activities,” says Alan K. Sims, vice president/executive director, Randall-Reilly Events. “There will truly be something for everyone.”

The Charlotte Diesel Super Show offers free truck and vehicle parking and there’s RV parking and campsites available on-site. Tickets can be purchased at the event, or group sales are available at a discount for 10 or more tickets by calling (888) 349-4287. Adult admission is $20 for a two-day pass or $15 for a one-day pass. Tickets for children ages 7 to 16 are $10 for two days or $7 for one day. Children 6 and under can attend for free.

For more information, go to www.dieselsupershow.com.

4 State Unveils Rewards Program

The gang at 4 State Trucks is rolling out a new customer rewards program – The Mafia Chrome Card –  that will offer discounts on chrome, accessories and truck parts and other perks.

CSM gear is available upon signing up for the program, and a 12-month membership is $99. Chrome card members will receive discounts on all regularly priced items and same-day shipping on any orders placed before noon. The card offers priority scheduling for installation work, and cardholders will receive discounts of 40 percent for all regularly price CSM logo items and apparel.

Cardholders will receive email updates about new products and current projects and are eligible for premium VIP parking at the Guilty by Association Truck Show and Customer Expo held in Joplin, Mo., each October.

To get more information about the card, call 4 State Trucks at (888) 875-7787.

Make/Model: 2011 Peterbilt 389 36″ flattop

Year: 2011

The Basics: 261″ wheelbase;  Lowleaf with Airride car-hauler front axle; 500hp Cat; 18spd; 3.36 gears with full locking diff’s

Contact: Clint Moore

KANSAS CITY PETERBILT
8915 Woodend Rd
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913)-441-2888 office
(913)-484-7768 cell
(913)-422-5029 fax
clintmoore@kcpete.com

MILESTONE DRIVER ACCOMPLISHMENT

Sandy Menzdorf Earns 5-Million Miler Award after 48 years on the road

Sandy Menzdorf learned to drive at the age of eight in his Grandfather’s nineteen year old, 1934 Ford pickup. Forty-eight years and seven months later, Sandy is still driving for Central Freight Lines, the first company he ever worked for.

What is so amazing about Sandy’s story is that he has accomplished what few professional drivers are able; he has logged over 5 million miles of accident free driving to earn him the 5 Million Miler Award.

It was not by accident that Sandy came to work at Central Freight Lines.  His Father drove for Central, his brother and uncle were all part of the Central Family.  At age 16, once his Dad signed a release, Mr. Woody Callans, the original owner of Central Freight, welcomed Sandy into the fold.

If there was a test to Sandy’s resolve, it was working on Central’s dock 6 days a week for 80 cents an hour.  His good work ethic and an unexpected opportunity resulted in a promotion to spotting trailers in the yard.  Sandy’s dock supervisor at the time had some very basic advise for him “don’t tear up anything”!

Four years and nine months later he was driving P&D for Central until he received a letter from the Selective Service in May of 1967.  Sandy joined the Army and served in Viet Nam from August 1968 till September 1969.  He was assigned to the motor pool where he drove supply trucks for the military.

When Sandy returned to Texas he was again driving at Central Freight Lines in the city for another 5 years where he earned his first of many Safe Driving Awards.

Back in Texas Sandy met and married his wife Dorothy on December 4, 1970 and went on to raise a family that includes his sons Randy and Shawne and daughter Tonya. Sandy and Dorothy will be celebrating their 40 year wedding anniversary this December.

With a total of 5,375,000 miles and 43 years of safe driving in line haul under his belt Sandy was asked the key to his success.

“Driving a run is like a football game,” says Sandy, “you must be on the defense 100% of the time.  If you have a great defense, you will win the game…and go on to the title.  I call my 40 Year Safe Driver Ring my Super Bowl Ring… it is as large as a Super Bowl ring and it is as unique because I have the only one ever issued”

“My priorities are God, my wife and common sense. On the road you have to rely on common sense, if you feel there is a problem, listen to yourself, says Sandy. I am looking forward to my 50 years with Central Freight Lines, and am already planning the celebration for December 5, 2011, which will be 50 years to the day.”

Don Orr, President and CEO of Central Freight, congratulated Sandy “You are the backbone of our company and a role model for every driver we have today.  A company does not sustain itself for 85 years without the dedication, loyalty and perfection of skills of drivers such as yourself, and for that we thank you.” said Don.

Sandy enjoys grilling and is a pretty good cook.  Even with his culinary skills he has managed to lose over 40 pounds by dieting and walking on the treadmill at least 3 times a week.

Sandy’s picture is a testament to all the awards and citations he has earned during his 48 years and 7 months with Central Freight Lines.

Central Freight Lines is a privately held Common Carrier providing service to 49 States. Headquartered in Waco, Texas, Central Freight Lines has a rich history of providing transportation to emerging businesses and Fortune 500 industry leaders since 1925.  We continue to provide logistic solutions that create value to our customers.  To learn more, logon to :www.centralfreight.com

IOWA80.COM Releases New Trucking Accessories Catalog

IOWA80.COM, part of the Iowa 80 Group, Walcott, Iowa, and the premiere provider of trucking accessories in North America, will release a brand new catalog this week.

The new catalog boasts over 300 new items that include everything from stacks and lights to interior and exterior chrome and stainless accessories.

The new catalog will debut at the Walcott Truckers Jamboree hosted by Iowa 80 Truckstop this Thursday and Friday.

All current IOWA80.COM customers will be sent the new catalog.

Others interested in receiving a free copy of the catalog may call 1-866-4-IOWA-80 (446-9280) or request a catalog on-line at www.iowa80.com.

IOWA80.COM also has over 130,000 items to browse on-line at www.iowa80.com.

GearWrench teams up with Custom Rigs in “Reader’s Rigs” tool give-away contest

Every day readers submit pictures of their trucks to our Truck Gallery in hopes they’ll be spotlighted in the pages of Custom Rigs.

Starting with our August issue we’re upping the ante with a special “Reader’s Rigs Tool Contest,” thanks to GearWrench, one of the premier handtool manufacturers in the world. We’re looking for winners right now, so enter your truck’s photo and drop us a line for a chance to win.

Entering is simple and, in doing so,  all entrants agree to the following stipulations:

• Randall may disclose and publish their name and likeness
• Randall may reproduce their essay in whole, in part, in summary, or in derivative
• All decisions of the judges are final
• All prizes will be awarded

Step 1) Upload a photo of your truck to the Truck Gallery and fill out the form with your name, e–mail, phone number and shipping address (no P.O. boxes, please);

Step 2) Send us an e-mail (or letter) telling us why you need new tools. (If you have already uploaded a picture of your truck this year, send us your story about the need for new tools and give us your truck’s name so we can check it out.)

Custom Rigs editors will pick four winners for each of the next three issues (August, December, and March 2011) based on the truck photo and your tool sob story. The best story teller with the coolest truck wins. Now, how much easier could it get for a chance to win hundreds of dollars in great hand tools.

We’ll send the “grand prize” winner a GearWrench “Career Builder Diesel Add-On Tool Set” with a retail value of $933 . Three runner’s up will receive a  tool set, as selected by the judges and provided by GearWrench. Those tool sets could be one of the following:

• #85398: 9 Pc. Reversible X-Beam Combination Ratcheting Wrench Set – SAE ($192)

• #85388: Reversible Combination Ratcheting Wrench Set Metric ($240)
  

• #82104: 3PC Standard Plier Set ($75)

• #80706: 15 Pc. 6 Pt. Socket Set SAE ($100)
  

• #80o51: 12 Pc. Combination Phillips Screwdriver Set ($110)

Mike Ryan’s custom Cascadia runs the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in near-record time despite rain and snow

by Brad Bentley

Mike Ryan is a consummate pro when it comes to driving big rigs fast.

But his skills behind the wheel of his 1,950-horsepower daycab  Freightliner Cascadia required him to dig a little deeper as he put it into a powerslide going up the infamous “Ws” on Pikes Peaks narrow two-lane road to the summit.

Ryan never lifted and kept his Detroit-Diesel-powered race truck between the 1,000-foot cliffs and the rock walls during the  88th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 27.

Known as The Race To The Clouds, it started off as anything but, with clear skies and sunshine and perfect conditions for record-setting action in these race classes: Unlimited, Super-Stock Car, Open Wheel, Pike Peak Open, Showroom Stock, Motorcycles (five classes), Side Cars, Quads, Time Attack and Big Rig.

Several drivers came through with breakthrough performances and record times, but there were numerous delays with drivers going off course, which allowed the always unpredictable weather to become a factor later in the day.

By the time Mike Ryan’s Detroit Diesel-powered Freightliner Cascadia completed the course in the Big Rig class to cap the racing action, there were snow flurries at the summit of Pike’s Peak and rain on the rest of the mountain.

Ryan is always a fan favorite and everyone was excited to see how he would fare this year. The weather was a slight factor, but suspension understeer issues, which slowed Ryan in the switchbacks section of the course, took away what otherwise might have been a record run. However, Mike still made an impressive climb up the course, and the fans were certainly not disappointed.

The Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb is essentially a race against the clock, so everywhere you turn people are focused on numbers. With that in mind, here is a “by the numbers” look at the Race To The Clouds:

1916 – the year Spencer Penrose, a Colorado Springs businessman finished construction on the world’s highest highway, a toll road to Pike’s Peak. Soon, Penrose decided to hold a race to the top, with a colossal silver trophy as a prize, and the Race To The Clouds was born. It has been held every year since, making it the second oldest road race in America. Only the Indianapolis 500 precedes it.

14,110 – the elevation of the top of Pike’s Peak. This is almost a mile higher that at the Start Line. Many racers, including Ryan, carry bottled oxygen to help them deal with the high altitude.

61,626 – the length (in feet) of plus grade on the race course, which is a mixture of pavement and dirt/gravel surface.

16 – the number of times Mike Ryan has raced in the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb. He competed on a motorcycle for two years, and in a big rig for 14.

12 – the number of Unser family members who have competed in the hill climb over the years. Many of racing’s most famous families, from Dallenbach, Millens, Donner and Mears, have had multiple competitors.

13:03 – Mike Ryan’s time this year. This was only 20 seconds off his still standing big rig record of 12:43, set in 2006.

1,950 – the amount of horsepower Ryan can generate from his engine, which was completed  “in-house” in two months time. As built from Detroit Diesel, it dyno’ed at 1,600 hp. The compounding turbo set up from Borg Warner and BD Turbo along with the Snow Performance water-methanol injection added about 350 hp, according to the suppliers.

9,700 – the weight (in pounds) of Ryan’s customized Freightliner Cascadia, which is 1,200 lbs heavier than his previous truck, a 2005 Freightliner Century Class ST. The extra weight and the fact that Ryan did not have a factory powered race team engine like his previous truck make this year’s performance even more impressive.

156 – the number of turns Ryan had to navigate on the 12.42-mile course as it winds its way up Pikes Peak

10:01.408 – the record time set in 2007 by Monster Tajima in a Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special. Tajima competes in the Unlimited class, where anything goes as long as it passes safety inspection. Both Tajima and drifting star Rhys Millen were thought to have legitimate shots of completing the course sub-10 this year, but both fell short. Tajima was the closest at 10:11.

Swamp Loggers” ply the North Carolina woods; TV show Becomes a hit on the Discovery Channel

(Courtesy of Kenworth)

“We buy equipment to work it, and work it we do.”

It’s a subtle, but telling statement by Bobby Goodson, owner of Goodson’s All-Terrain Logging. His logging operation and equipment is so specialized, and worked so hard, there are only a handful of operators who even attempt to do what his company does.

It’s called shovel logging, where Goodson’s crew of 10, including his son Justin, work land that’s flooded with water – cutting and delivering wood that no one ever thought possible to harvest.

If you watch the Discovery Channel you’ll know these woodsmen as Swamp Loggers.  The reality show, depicting their work in the swamps, has helped propel the Discovery Channel to near the top prime time cable network ratings – averaging close to 2 million viewers per episode.

Working his operation from Jacksonville, N.C., Goodson said swamp logging began around 1995 in Georgia by an ambitious logging crew.  “And before that, loggers took wood out of swamps with ‘steam donkeys.’ They would winch the logs to rivers and float them downstream.  But, with the Clean Water Act, and logging restrictions within 50 feet of rivers, that all went to the wayside.”

That left the new technical type of shovel logging – which Goodson adopted in the late ’90s.

How does it all work?  After negotiating a royalty with a landowner for logging the land, it’s up to Goodson’s crew to get the wood cut and to the mill as soon as possible.

Using Google(TM) Earth to map out a swath of land to log, Goodson then puts his $425,000 feller buncher, piloted by Simetrio Ruiz, to work. The machine’s grapplers hold the tree while its 61-inch diameter rotating blade glides through the lumber like butter.

Fallen trees are then placed by a log loader, “or shovel, as we call it,” said Goodson, in front of the feller buncher.

“The downed trees – Ash, Cyprus and Tupelo – limbs and all, then make a 50-foot wide road to go further into the swamp,” Goodson explained.  “Sometimes we’ll have to put two or three trees down on top of each other in real boggy areas.  As the process moves forward, we’ll create a log road of up to 1 mile, but generally we’ll go about a half-mile in. Simetrio works down and back twice before the first wood can be loaded and hauled to the mill.”

The logs go on the company’s six trucks – five of which are Kenworth W900s (two owned by Goodson, and three by his son, Justin), and they load to the max – a gross combination weight (GCW) of 84,000 pounds.

“To make money we need to average 20 loads a day to the mill,” said Goodson.  “So the reliability of our equipment and Kenworths are critical.  It’s really why we bought them, that along with keeping our drivers happy in a premium rig.

“I’ve been around log trucks enough to know what stands up in tough conditions and what log trucks start to fall apart.  We don’t run chain saws out here.  Everything is mechanized and dependent upon each other.  If one piece of our heavy equipment goes down, or one of our trucks, then it hampers everything.”

Spec’d for ruggedness, the newer Kenworth W900s are equipped with 475-hp engines rated at 1,850 lb-ft of torque and driven through 10-speed transmissions.

The gear ratio is 3.70 and differential locks on both drive axles, plus Kenworth’s power divider, help provide equal power to the heavily lugged 11R24.5 drive tires.  Dual exhaust and dual breathers, air ride suspensions and a central tire inflation system help complete the package.

“We bought the trucks through Cooper Kenworth and they’ve been great to work with,” said Goodson.  “That goes for parts support as well and any emergency repairs we might need.”

Kenworth’s quality products, combined with excellent dealer support from dealers such as Cooper Kenworth, contributed to Kenworth receiving the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates award for “Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Heavy Duty Dealer Service.”

A third generation logger, Goodson said he had 11 family members involved with their own logging companies at one time.

“Now we’re down to four.  My brother, cousin and uncle all have logging operations in place.  Traditional logging. They leave the swamp life to me and I love it.  Every day and every tract of land is different and each has its challenges.

” And we have challenges with the economy – last year was the worst we ever had due to the mills not wanting much wood.  About 40 percent of the loggers around here quit or went out of business.

“But there is an upside too,” Goodson goes on to say. “We get a premium for our wood and pulp from the mill.  That’s because we can deliver in any weather condition.  When other loggers are down because of the weather, we’re in the swamps cutting and delivering.  Sometimes we’ll be the sole provider to the mill, and they know they can depend on us.  It’s a win-win.”

So is the show Swamp Loggers.

“When I first got a call from the producer of the show, who had heard about us from an American Logging Council member, I thought someone was playing a joke on us.  It took me a while to figure out they were on the level and they wanted to do a documentary show.  We agreed, really not thinking it would go anywhere beyond a few episodes.”

Goodson said it takes around 135 hours of filming to create one 50-minute episode and he and the crew have gotten used to having cameras on site during the filming season. “It does slow things down on occasion, but for the most part, we work like we normally do and they capture what happens.”

Fans of the show seem to love it and the down-to-earth nature of Goodson and his crew.

“We’ve gotten hundreds of letters and emails and not one note has been negative. Last week we even had a woman from Ohio bring her family down to meet us in the woods.  We gave them a little tour of our operation and they were thrilled.  It made our day too. It’s pretty neat to see so many people enthused about what we do,” Goodson said.

To learn more about the show and Goodson’s operation, check out their website at: http://goodsonsallterrainlogginginc.com.