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Pro-Trucker Magazine
Western Canada's Truck Magazine
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Gerry Campbell, like his dad and his
grandfather before him, is a trucker through and through. From the
early twenties to the nineties Gerry’s Grandfather, Allan Campbell,
lived in Minedosa Manitoba. He was a local farmer and dallied in
trucks to get his goods to town. Times were tough and so was he.
His son Ron Campbell, grew up in this environment of hard times and
knew that to get ahead he would have to be a little sharper than
the next guy. These inherent life skills were passed down to the
third generation of truckers, Gerry Campbell. A strong work ethic
and customer service wrapped up with a whole lot of humour are the
foundation of Gerry’s attitude. This is his story.
Some days I’d swear I was born in a truck. My dad insists I was
born in Bassano hospital in Alberta, but after twenty-two years
behind the wheel I’m not so sure. I recall growing up in Edmonton,
Alberta where all I ever wanted to do was drive a big truck. I was
always certain that one day I would be one of those guys pounding
the pavement. The throaty sound of a rig has always had a hypnotic
allure for me, something I’m sure many of you understand.
If it’s got eighteen wheels or just two, I love to drive and I take
great pride in doing it well. My first driving experience was when
my Dad pulled over to the shoulder and said, “If you aren’t going
to go to school, then you better learn how to work - here, you
drive”. I slipped behind the wheel and with all the smoothness of a
rock crusher chewing up a big rock; I got my first driving
lesson.
I was fourteen at the time and the truck was a Ford Louisville with
a 270 Cummins and a fifteen speed direct transmission. By the time
I was sixteen I had worked up to running double with my Dad hauling
peat moss to California and bringing produce back to Edmonton. I
thought I had the world by the tail as I proudly drove Dad’s new
truck, a 1977 A-model Kenworth, with a 350 Cummins. What a jump in
power.
I recall my Dad’s first speeding ticket with me in the truck. We
were in Washington State and the last thing he said before
peacefully drifting off to sleep was not to put the truck into
overdrive. Of course I said okay, but I’m sure you know where this
is going. That ol’ KW just flew in overdrive and my Dad had hardly
closed his eyes before I had her flying! Behind me a State
Trooper’s car lit up like a Christmas tree and Dad was rudely
awakened with me screaming, “ Get up! We’re being pulled over “.
Did I mention that I had no licence at this point in my fledgling
career? I’ll always remember the smacks on the back of the head I
received as Dad frantically climbed through the coffin-box window.
He sat there fuming in the driver’s seat as he received the lecture
that came with his ticket. I worked for nothing, hand bombing
freight for quite a while after that incident. Later that year
while driving a five-ton C65 Chevy in town I met my future wife
Sheri. I drove that truck until I turned eighteen when I went in
and took my Class 1 licence. Once I got my Class One I went to work
for Robyns Trucking driving an International S model with a 400
Cummins doing daily runs between Calgary and Edmonton. After one
year of back and forth to Cow town I grew restless and needed a
change so I got a job pulling Super-B train convertible grain
trailers. For the next year I hauled to Prince Rupert and Vancouver
from farmers fields in Alberta. I lived in Alberta up until my
twentieth birthday. I loved the scenery in BC and even though Sheri
and I had two small children, and were somewhat apprehensive to
leave the security of family, we needed to give it a try. As it
turned out it was the right decision. We have lived in various
parts of B.C. from Chilliwack to Kamloops, where we now live.
We moved to Chilliwack with five hundred dollars in our jeans. The
moving van was on the way and we didn’t even have a house to live
in. Did I mention we had two wonderful children who never screamed
or made a fuss…ya right. We rented a hotel room for the first month
and times were tough but we were young and like everyone else we
had to learn a few things the hard way.
I immediately went looking for a job and quickly landed one driving
a chip truck on the Midway to Port Kells run. Highway 3 is
unforgiving to an experienced driver and it’s even more so for a
cocky rookie trying to stay on schedule. I was made painfully aware
of this fact one night while traveling westbound down Anarchist
Summit. My trailers were doing the wiggle wagon shuffle and I was
looking at the ditch then the no-post then the ditch, all the while
trying to keep my shorts from being swallowed. My trailers were off
the ground on one side and then they slammed down and went up on
the other side. This scared the crap out of me. Needless to say,
after that hair raising experience, I gained a lot of respect for
the weather conditions and the softly spoken advice of weathered
old skinners.
In 1998 I bought my first truck. It was a brand new 1999
International 9200. I worked it hauling vans through 48 states and
6 provinces. It kept the bills paid but I was never home. One year
later I lucked into a scheduled run from Vancouver to Winnipeg (I
thought) but I found I was away from home for longer durations than
when I ran the lower 48. It was taking a toll on our home life so I
decided to make a change. I replaced my now one year old truck with
a 2000 International 9900. A little bit heavier of a spec but I was
off to the land of deck work. I’m not going to mention the
companies that I worked for as they were all very good to me and I
don’t want to leave any out.
My deck work was primarily done with company drop decks and a
little at a time I was working towards independence. When the time
was right I bought my own trailer. It was a 48 foot, all aluminum
tri-axle that I spec’d light to make up for the added weight of my
tractor, enabling me to work both sides of the border.
I kept my International for three years and it was a good truck but
the warranty was running out so I traded it in on the 2004 Low-Max
Western Star that I’m currently driving. I’ve since ordered a 2007
Peterbilt and should take possession of it this fall. I take quite
a bit of pride in my equipment and the shiny stuff has to shine. I
know it doesn’t make you any more money, but like many of us I like
to have my truck look unique. If you’re going to be out there it
doesn’t take that much more to do it with style. That being said my
truck is also a “toolbox on wheels” and I never loose sight of the
fact that it has to make money.
If the load pays well enough, chances are I will go anywhere. In
2003 I received a phone call to take a load to the Huckleberry Mine
near Houston B.C. I had a basic idea as to where I was going
however didn’t realize there was going to be that much gravel road.
You would be surprised what over two-hundred kilometers of gravel
can do to a set of newly polished Alcoa wheels, assorted stainless
goodies and paint. The scenery was breathtaking and so was the
polishing job I had to do after I got home. I was told by other
drivers that the road was in good shape. Thanks, but no thanks.
In 2004 I decided to give my own company a shot. Sheri and I share
the responsibilities of the company, in that she tells me what to
do and I do it. Seriously though, we have ventured into this
company as equals. I couldn’t and wouldn’t want to try this without
the support of my best friend. I drive the truck and Sheri
dispatches. She also takes care of the mountain of paper work that
you have when running your own company. The last two years haven’t
been easy. As with any new fleet we have experienced growing pains.
I would like to have brought on a few more trucks but when you are
starting out the finance companies are somewhat hesitant in doling
out funds. Not to be discouraged though we now have five
owner-operators under our wing all with their own trailers. Our
company offers drop deck, flat deck and super-b train services, all
with the ability to go 48 states and 6 provinces. Ninety-five
percent of our work is B.C. to Alberta. I learned quickly that
going it on your own isn’t easy but with the right attitude and
attention to customer’s needs you can do alright.
Fuel prices are a big issue but if you charge the right rate for
hauling and factor in a proper fuel surcharge the impact can be
greatly reduced. Helping your customer understand where you are
coming from is optimal for success. My advice to anyone branching
out on your own is to do it slowly. Business hiccups will arise,
like waiting for billing charges to be paid while keeping your
staff paid. This can be a major hurdle to overcome but if you want
to be in business you have to be able to keep good drivers. To do
this you have to be prompt on payday. An impeccable credit rating
is the key to keeping things rolling. Most of all pay your bills -
on time - this will go along way in today’s world.
Even with some of the added stress of being a small fleet manager I
still love the open road. Whether in my truck or on my bike, the
highway helps me relax. I can’t see myself doing anything else in
this life other than being in this industry for a long time to
come. It has given me a good life and I am going to continue giving
it my best in return. Drive safe.
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