Pro-Trucker Magazine

My name is Missy Vesper, and I was born and raised in Cawston, BC. I’m the youngest of four girls and have been raised in a very large trucking family. My Family owns a trucking company called Vesper Transport Ltd. I have multiple cousins, siblings and uncles who either drive trucks, are mechanics, or run the office for Vesper Transport.

I remember when my dad, Cory Vesper, would go on trips when we were young, and my sisters and I would race to the door, trying to be the first to hug him when he got home. My sisters and I would go trucking with Dad when we were young, and we would play hide-andseek in the sleeper. Unfortunately, there were only three places to hide so we usually had to pretend not to find each other just so the game would last a little longer. No matter how many snacks and meals mom would pack us for the trip, Dad would always make sure we snuck in a Dairy Queen stop for his kids! Dad would make a point of taking each of us on cool trips or bringing home cool souvenirs. Mom would be at home with the four girls and let us all talk to Daddy on the phone when he would call us before bed. We would sneak love notes and pictures in his duffel bag on Sunday when he left.

Whenever Vesper Transport bought a new truck, I remember Dad waiting outside our school in it. He would pick us sisters up and take I called Andy Roberts, President of Mountain Transport Institute in Castlegar, BC (my go-to for driver training) and asked whether he had trained a driver who stood out in his memory. He said, “Missy Vesper. She comes from a strong family background in the trucking industry and came to MTI with a positive attitude and a desire to learn everything she could. It was a pleasure to have her as a student, and her solid work ethic, coupled with a great sense of humour, served her well, as it continues to in the industry.” This is Missy’s story: Missy Vesper RIG OF THE MONTH by John White Pictures by: David Benjakschek www.wowtrucks.com JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026 Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine www.driverschoice.ca 9 us for a test drive. The seats and mattress would still have plastic on them; we would fight for the front seat and always line up to test the horn! It was a pretty cool feeling, but I definitely did not appreciate trucks back then the way I do now.

Growing up, I always wanted to get my Class 1 license, but I never really thought it would be my fulltime career. I figured it would be cool to have, and that I could always find a job if needed. I had spent a couple of years in the forestry industry, working on a crusher and on an asphalt plant, before I was sick of doing seasonal work. When I got laid off in November 2022, I figured it was the perfect time to get my Class 1! I was already living in Castlegar at the time, so I signed up to take my MELT course in January 2023. My dad initially taught me how to drive a couple of weeks before I went to Mountain Transport Institute. Over Christmas that year, I got my learner’s license, and we did a lot of laps around the block. I never went above 5th gear, probably because I had absolutely no idea how I’d even gotten into that gear in the first place.

Then in January, I started my MELT program at MTI in Castlegar, where many great driving instructors taught me all the basic driving and shifting skills I needed. On the weekends, I would drive home to Cawston and go trucking with my dad. He would spend hours going over the truck with me, making sure I was actually learning things at school. He taught me how to check trucks & trailers, secure cargo, and chain them up. He always said it’s better to learn now than on the side of the road in a storm. So that’s what we did! He would save as much local work as he could for me for the weekends. We would usually spend our days swapping trailers in Grand Forks, bringing home loaded trailers for the guys to leave with on Monday. We would get home to Cawston, my mom would have dinner ready for us, and I would head back to Castlegar for school on Monday!

I took my test in March 2023, and two days later, I was put to work swamping for my cousin! I spent over a month driving with not only my dad but also my two uncles, Lee Vesper and Brad Vesper, and my two cousins, Curtis Vesper and Ben Brouwer. Once they all gave Cory the okay that I was good to drive by myself, I was off! I appreciate every single one of them for their patience in teaching me. Learning from five drivers with so much experience is the best thing that I could ask for. Each of them taught me different tips and tricks I still use to this day. I look up to all these hard-working men.

I have LOTS of truckers in my life. My dad, of course! My uncles, my cousins, my father-in-law, and lots of friends. My biggest mentor, though, would easily be my dad. He’s the hardest-working man I know. He used to drive a lot when I was a kid, but now he is the dispatcher for Vesper Transport. Alone, he dispatches 18 trucks and 70 trailers, somehow making it look easy. His days start around 4 am with calls, texts and emails rolling in. He works long days and often swaps trailers in the afternoons or evenings when needed to help the drivers out for the next day. On weekends, he makes sure the fleet is ready for Monday by helping drivers with fueling, greasing, and servicing. He runs anything needed through the shop and hooks them up to Monday’s load. Aside from working so many hours, he is a family man. He keeps this big family together and always makes time for family camping and hunting trips. He’s the best role model to so many people in our family, and I know he’s so proud to have a daughter following in his trucking footsteps.

Being a girl on the road can be pretty interesting some days. I get a lot of random people coming up to me to tell me how cool it is to see a woman driving a “big truck”. There are a lot of very nice people who are genuinely excited to see me out there. But there are definitely a few who come off in a weird way and like to stare. I’ve gotten a couple of random hugs from strangers in the middle of parking lots, along with lots of awkward comments. On my husband, Levon Farley’s days off work, he will quite often come trucking with me. I think I avoid a lot of strange encounters when he’s with me, but they quite often assume it’s his truck, not mine. I do enjoy receiving comments about how awesome it is that I’m helping show the industry that girls can do this, too.

Then there are the “super truckers” who think I need help or need to be taught how to tie my load down. They will come over and show me their horrible ways of doing things. Usually, I play along and just smile through it until they leave me alone. As it probably makes their day thinking they helped the “girl driver” out! I only take advice from people who I know have experience and I trust their work!

I have only ever worked for my family’s company. I would probably quit trucking before I ever drove for any other company! I may be biased, but there’s nowhere better to work than Vesper Transport!

Working for family is great, most of the time! There are definitely days when we can be short with each other, but in the end, as a family, we know we all love each other, we get over it, and we get back to work! I love walking into the office and seeing my mom and dad, aunts, uncles, sisters, nieces, cousins and friends working or having a company lunch! The only time it sucks is when I get told about a load I don’t really want to do. It’s pretty hard to say no when your dad is your boss! He’s usually pretty good to me, but there are definitely days I regret becoming useful to him!

ue loads. I’ve hauled custom log homes throughout western Canada and the states, as far as Colorado! I’ve moved live honeybees around BC/AB for pollination—low-bedded oversize equipment with my cousin Curtis, who runs our heavy haul division. I haul a lot of hay and straw from Washington and deliver to ranches all over the Similkameen/ Okanagan valley. I haul a lot of Princeton Wood Preservers treated fence posts and log poles. We haul everything from insulation, nursery stock, crusher equipment, apples, pears, bins, barrels, cardboard, glass bottles, lumber, machinery, sea cans, boats, and so much more. A little bit of everything! Big or small, we haul it all!

One of my first trucks was the company’s “penalty box”. (99 Freightliner) It is the shitbox of the fleet, but damn does that thing make money! No payments! I did a couple of months of summer trucking in the PNW, with no air conditioning in this truck, and it definitely made me appreciate the nice trucks when I got to drive them! I think everyone should do this to gain respect for a nice truck. Then I got promoted to the 2002 International with a 6NZ CAT for a couple of months. Then I had the 2020 Peterbilt 389 for a few weeks before my current truck became available. I’ve now been in my 2018 Kenworth W900L with a 565hp X15 since. I respect the truck I drive and hit the wash bay a couple times a week, trying to keep it shiny!

I have for sure had my share of rough nights on the road, but unless I’m only a little way from home, I will usually pull over in the closest town and try again in the morning. It’s a lot easier than white-knuckling the wheel, trying to keep it on the road. As truck drivers, we have long days as it is, and bad weather makes it that much worse. I am grateful that Cory and Lee do not push drivers to make appointments or rush them during storms. They’d rather their drivers arrive late than end up in the ditch. Some days, traffic can be stressful, but I’ve been taught to try to stay calm and get there when you get there, easier said than done some days!

This year I made Vesper history as the first driver to hit a FISH on the road! I was driving in central Washington next to a lake when an osprey came up out of the lake with a fish. It dropped the fish in front of me; I ran over the fish and hit the bird with my air cleaner! The whole thing was caught on my dash camera. There was a lot of screaming!

Since we live so close to the border, I do quite a lot of trucking in Washington. Some weeks, I cross the border every morning at the same time. Usually, by the 3rd or 4th day in a row, the border guards get a little friendlier since they have heard me say the same thing every morning and already know my entire run.

Some days I wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t gotten my license. But when I think about the amount of country I’ve seen, of both Canada and the United States. The fun sites, cool moves, wildlife, mountains, national parks, and beautiful sunrises/sunsets. The neat little towns that no one else has even heard of, yet I can say I have hauled stuff there. The people I’ve met along the way and the stories I’ve heard. The annual parades in our hometown, and watching kids pump their arms for me to honk. I was able to take my bobtail truck to my niece’s grade one class last year. One by one, they entered the passenger side, looked in the cab, honked the horn and climbed down. They were yelling things like “Where’s your sink? Where’s the kitchen? You drive this? But you’re a girl!” It was very cute! I don’t think I would have seen half the things that I have seen in the past 3 years if I hadn’t been trucking!

Vesper Transport was started by my Grandpa Curt and my Grandma Pat in 1952. My Dad and my uncle Lee have been partners of the company since 1989. I am a third-generation truck driver in my family for Vesper Transport. We run our office out of my Grandpa Curt and Grandma Pat’s house, where they raised their nine kids in Cawston. It’s a cool feeling walking into the house and thinking how proud Grandpa & Grandma would be of the business the family keeps on running. We run 10 company trucks and eight lease operators. Between the office, shop and trucks, we employ over 30 staff at any given time. Proud is an understatement when you have employees who have worked at Vesper for over 20 years. It’s a good feeling to know I’m working for a company that treats its employees like family, runs good equipment, and takes pride in the work they do. To see a Vesper truck and trailer coming towards me on the highway, I can say I am proud that’s my last name. And even more proud to be following in my dad’s footsteps.

One of my favourite memories of trucks and what it means to my family is that all four of us daughters got dropped off at our high school prom in a Vesper truck and then took pictures with the truck in the background. My parents had a semi at their wedding; my sisters had one at theirs. Not only did I have one, but last June 2024, I drove myself and my bridesmaids to my own wedding ceremony in my Kenworth.

I know my dad wasn’t too keen on me being a truck driver just because he had seen how the industry can be sometimes, but when I told him I had enrolled for my MELT course, he told me if I was going to be a trucker, I was going to be the best damn trucker out there. And that no man will be able to tell me what to do because I would already know how to do it. I still make plenty of mistakes and call dad for advice on securing certain cargo, and I’m still learning new things every day, but I think that’s just what trucking is!