Pro-Trucker Magazine

The suggestion for this issue’s Rig of the Month (Joe Hogg) was sent in by David Benjatschek of Wowtrucks.com. David has the envious job of being able to travel around Canada taking pictures of Canadian trucks for his Wowtrucks Calendar. He is also a motivational speaker, teaches photography and he is a great ambassador for the industry. This is Joe’s story:

My name is Joe Hogg, and I was born and raised on a farm just 12 miles north of Lougheed, Alberta. Growing up on the farm was great. It allowed me to do and see things other kids never get to do or see. I have two older brothers, but by the time I was 12, they had moved to Grande Prairie, Alberta. They were both truck drivers, and as a kid, I idolized them. Partly because I was fascinated by the big iron they drove.

Many things happened when I was twelve years old that more or less set me on my career path as a driver. The first one was my brothers driving trucks, but also, when I was that age, my dad bought a corral cleaning business where he travelled around from farm to farm in the Viking/Vermillion area, cleaning out corrals. He had three trucks, a tandem axle International, and two Fords. Dad showed me the ropes, which began my career as a trucker. I would help him in the summer months by moving the trucks to and from the corrals as they were loaded. My two sisters Leeanne and Cindy also drove a bit when we were did corral cleaning so I guess you can say we all have a bit of trucking in our blood.

The month after I turned 18, I got my class one. I did my written test in the morning while the guy whose truck I was going to take my test in was working then he took the rest of the day off while I did my driving test. I aced them both on the same day. Once I had my class one, I moved to Grande Prairie and went to work driving a Freightliner tandem axel cab over for Silver Wing Transport. Unfortunately, that job did not last long. After a couple of weeks, another driver sent me to the wrong lease. Looking back, I realize I should have taken my instructions from the dispatcher because the tank overflowed at the lease where I was supposed to go. To appease the customer, someone had to go, and it was no real surprise when it turned out to be me.

After Silver Wing I went to Fracmaster out of Grande Prairie where I drove a tandem tandem Kenworth cab over with what they called endless tubing. It was hauling a big spool of 1-inch copper tube used for well cleanout. I wasn’t too impressed with the job, so the day I turned 19, I returned home to work for Ruzicka Trucking of Viking, Alberta. That was my first highway job, and was something I had wanted to do all along. I spent a couple of years there learning about hauling bales, cattle and grain. After that, I went to work for Clark Steele out of Wainwright, who hired me to haul cattle in the Wainwright area, with the odd trip to Calgary.

In 1986 I bought my first truck. It was a 1986 Western Star, with a 400 Cummins engine, 18-speed transmission and a small bunk, and I went back to Grande Prairie to work for my brother hauling livestock.

The Doctor told me I had to quit working for my brother Darrell for medical reasons or they would continue to get worse. So once again, I moved back home to the job in Wainwright.

I kept my first truck, the 1986 Western Star, for five years, then in May of 94, I bought a used T600 with a mechanical cat. I got kicked one day while loading cattle, breaking my leg. I was off for six weeks, and during that time, I sold my truck and bought a 94 379 Pete flattop. I had that truck for two years, then bought a new 99 900L Kenworth with an Aerodyne bunk. Three years later sold it and worked for others for a few months to be around the kids more, but that was not for me, so I bought the 2000 Pete I now have. It came with a 63-inch standup bunk and a high-roof cab. I wanted a flat top but couldn’t find one, so I rebuilt mine five years ago. I found a 63 flat top and had it reskinned, then changed the roof cap on the truck to flatten it out as well.

Over the years, I worked for several companies hauling their trailers, then 11 years ago, I bought my own. I also run my own plates, insurance and fuel cards to keep some of my own independance.

As I mentioned, I idolized my older brothers and rode with both of them at different times. Darrell hauled livestock and Donnie hauled logs. I only rode with Donnie hauling logs one time and that was when I was 16. After that one trip where we were negotiating steep cut banks with his loaded trailer trying to pass us while going down a steep grade, I quickly realized that hauling logs wasn’t for me. On the other hand I found that riding with Darrell, loading and hauling cattle, was not as nerve-wracking and a lot more enjoyable.

I have two kids. My daughter Jolene is a school teacher. She and husband Blake, have two daughters, Leah and Kenzie, and they live on a property just east of Edmonton at Ardrossan, Alberta. My son Cody, and his wife Lindsey, and their little boy Brady, live in Calgary. My son Cody started riding with me when he was about two. On one trip to Peace River, we stopped to eat at a restaurant in Whitecourt, and a short time later, he started to throw up. By the time we got to Peace River, our shower towels were the only thing we had left that was dry enough to use as covers for the night. That didn’t deter him as he continued to ride with me. We even made a couple trips to the coast and he loved it. When he got older I taught him how to drive which didn’t take too much as he had watched me through the years. When he was in his early twenties he finally broke down and got his Class 1. He currently pulls for Trivee transport out of Calgary.

When I redid my truck 5 yrs. ago, my son Cody, who has a great eye for detail, and not afraid to do anything, had a lot to do with how it went together. On the day he brought his new truck home from Kenworth he took the interior out. Amoung other things he wanted to paint the dash, install a visor, and put in custome cab lights.

When my daughter was in elementary school They had a bring a parent to school day to talk about what they did. I parked my 99 Kenworth on the street in front of the school and all the kids came out and were wide-eyed when told they were allowed to climb into the truck. They were quite impress when they found it was so clean that they had to take their shoes off at the door. Another time I had both kids with me at a small feed lot. I was loading cattle and as they were coming up the chute one of them jumped the fence. There were a couple of very wide eyed kids frantically looking around, not knowing which way to run.

Over the years, I tried different things. I worked for Olinyk Trucking out of Edmonton hauling building supplies like drywall and lumber. They were a good company, but it didn’t interest me as much as hauling livestock. I also worked for McCallum Trucking and Stainless Truck Lines, pulling stainless tankers filled with food quality oil. They, too, were good companies, but I found the work was too predictable and repetitious for me.

I also did maintenance for the highways for about ten months, but I couldn’t stand how they did things. Being a driver, I have a good idea of what is needed on the roads, and I found that they wanted to use too much material when sanding. I knew what excess material did to truck wheels and wiring, so I put down what I knew to be enough to be safe, but they kept sending me out to put down more. I finally realized the job wasn’t for me one day when we were replacing road signs. We dug a hole and put in a sign, and after making sure it was straight and tamping it down, I was ready to move on to the next one. But I was told to take it easy, slow down and make the job last. That was totally against my grain. Being raised on a farm, you worked until the end of the day because you knew you would never run out of work. It wasn’t just that. It was also because I was brought up to put in a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.

When hauling livestock, every load is different. It was more hands-on, and you never know where you will load, which was interesting as you often ended up at places you had never been to before. When hauling livestock, you are also hands-on with loading the animals, which is interesting in itself as you never know what to expect. Their temperament is different every time.

I have been working for Westland Livestock out of Acme, Alberta, for three and a half years, and they are a great company. Randy Hempel started Westland in March 1992 and is slowly beginning to pull away. His son Eric has more or less taken over, and things are going really well.

My girlfriend Tracey stands behind me 100% in everything that I do. She loves horses and has about a dozen, counting the two new foals and another on the way. We are leaving shortly for a horseback trip out west. I’m not sure where yet. I think she wants to surprise me, but hopefully, it is in the Black Hills or the Kananaskis country. Either way, I’m sure it will be a great trip. Being raised on a farm means I have been riding horses all my life, and I am really looking forward to this trip.

I also have a beautiful Harley Heritage 2006 Soft Tail motorcycle, which I love to ride, and it is a toss up as to what I would rather do. They are both great ways to kick back and relax, and I am very lucky to be able to do both.

I have to say that trucking in the mid 80’s to mid 90’s seemed much more fun than it is today. I think that drivers were respected more and the government didn’t seem to be in your face all the time with new regulations. There were always good times, no matter who you ran with or where you were hauling to. It is sure a lot different now. Some days are good, some not so good. I was recently gaining on a carrier, so I started to pass him. He wandered into the hammer lane as I approached and abruptly pulled back. I sat back for a bit to see what was happening and then finally passed him. As I went by, I could see him texting. He wasn’t even trying to hide it – he had it on the steering wheel. That kind of disrespect for other drivers, and trucking in general, riles me.

Like everyone, I have days when I question what I am doing and whether I could have done something different with my life. Should I have stayed in school and become a Doctor or Lawyer like I think my mother would have preferred? But then I pull out on the highway with the sun coming up and settle down for a nice drive with cattle mewing faintly in the background, and I realize this is where I should be, and life is good.