Pro-Trucker Magazine

Our Rig of the Month for this issue is Nick Einarson from Crossfield, Alberta. Born into a trucking family Nick has tried to leave but has always been drawn back to life on the road.

My story started in December of 1985 when I was born into a trucking family from Orillia, Ontario. My Dad and grandfather were both truck drivers, so after growing up in the trucking lifestyle, it is little wonder that I followed in their footsteps. I was about two years of age when I went on my first run. It was on a trip to Stoney Creek, Ontario, in my Dad’s 85 Freightliner Cabover. One of my earliest memories when I was young was sitting on the dog house between my mom and Dad.

One early morning, while they were asleep, I got out of the house and climbed into that Cabover in the driveway. I don’t think they were nearly as happy as I was to discover that I could do that. It was good that I knew never to touch those red or yellow buttons.

From then on, I wanted to be in the truck any chance I could. I constantly got in the way as I “helped” do everything from greasing, tarping loads and throwing straps. I even went with Dad into the office at Liskeard Transport, where Charlie, the dispatcher, usually snuck me candy.

Eventually, Dad got into a 1987 Freightliner FLC, where I spent most of my summers.

From trips to the East Coast, Winnipeg or Churchill, Tennessee, we would have late-night pit stops to split French fries and talk to other truckers, and I’d laugh till my belly hurt. We’d then grab a coffee and chocolate donut and be gone trucking again. I would try my best to stay up with him, but then I’d say I had to stretch my legs, and I was going to go into the bunk for a minute. A few hours later, I would crawl out of the bunk and wonder where we were.

When I was in my late teens, we moved to Calgary, where Dad took a General Manager’s position at a trucking company and got off the highway. That summer, I went to work with Rick and the guys at Big Rig towing. I learned more about the maintenance side of things in the shop and got some experience with life in the towing business. That was my first full-time summer job, and I loved it.

As high school ended, I knew that I wanted to be involved with trucks and be a firefighter, so I had to devise a plan. Dad never wanted me to be a driver, so I was on my own to find a way into one. He always said that if I did it alone, I would appreciate it more. I didn’t have my class 1, but at 19, I must have called every company in Calgary and the Yellow Pages to see if anyone would hire me.

One day, I found myself standing in the office at Ralcan Holdings, trying to sell myself as best I could. They had a great-looking fleet of new W900 Kenworths. After talking to Lori and Karen, they decided to take a chance on me. I remember Karen telling Lori I wanted it so bad she couldn’t say no. They hired me to work in the wash bay until I passed my class 1. My mom lent me the money to take a quick course at CCA in Calgary, and after a couple of months, I took my test and passed the first try. They stayed true to their word and immediately had me in a truck. I did a few day trips with other veteran drivers and was eventually cut loose. I ran a lot of Alberta and made some trips to Winnipeg that summer. In the fall, I started running to Vancouver.

I wasn’t 21 yet, so I had to stay in Canada, but I wanted to run south as soon as I could, so they made sure it happened. Just before Christmas, another driver and I got to the Sweet Grass border crossing at 10 pm. I didn’t turn 21 until midnight, so the lady at the booth told me I had 2 hours to wait. She searched my truck and went through my paperwork slowly, trying to kill time. At 11:15, she said, “Okay, it all checks out. I’m going to let you go now, but whatever you do, don’t screw up in the next 45 minutes.” The words were barely out of her mouth, and we were gone – headed for Arizona. I spent the next year and a half running refrigerated mainly in the west and southwest states with a 2006 Kenworth W900 with a CAT engine and 18 spd. I was fortunate to have such a beautiful ride for a kid just starting out. I had a lot of fun meeting some great guys who helped me along the way, and I still get to work with them.

But as much fun as running refrigerated was, I wanted to get into flat bedding. One day in Montana, I saw a couple of sweet Kenworths with decks, and they had Kootenay Wood on the door. I decided I better check them out. I called and met with the owner, Ken. Everyone I talked to had great things to say about him and the company. The bonus was that he was also in the fire department, which was exactly the path I wanted to take. In November 2007, I started as a company driver running all over the northwest U.S. with a 02 Peterbilt 378 with cat power and a new quad trailer. I sure got my exercise, tarping almost daily

Once 2007 / 2008 came around, and the economy slowed a bit, and to keep me busy, Ken asked if I wanted to haul cattle in the fall and winter. I had always wanted to try this, and gaining more experience in other freight is never bad. So for three years, I switched between flat decks and hauling cattle for Bruce at copperhead transport. In doing so, I now have a greater appreciation for hauling livestock and the process that gets food to our tables.

At this point in my career, as a company driver, I wanted to take the next step and own my truck. After a long search, I found a 2000 Kenworth W900 with a cat that had been very well cared for by Keith out of Kamloops, BC. Ken happened to be out there at the time and went to look at it for me. He called and said if I didn’t buy it, he would. So, needless to say, I jumped on it.

The truck had a 475 cat with a 15 spd and 3.90 gears. I ran it for a few months and then changed the 15 for an 18-speed. I have been pretty biased toward anything with a cat in it since I started, and I will probably stay with them and keep rebuilding them for as long as I can.

In the meantime, I submitted my application to the Calgary Fire Department. It’s quite the process and very time-consuming, so I had another fireman help me by running my truck when I needed the time off. He was great on the truck, and all the ladies at my customer’s offices didn’t seem to mind a calendar fireman showing up either.

The time finally came, and I received my acceptance letter. As I waited for the information about the next recruit class, I decided to sell the Kenworth and buy another truck in the future. While waiting for training, I ended up with pneumonia that hit me hard. I put off the training for one session and eventually decided to change course and not join the Fire Department. It turned out to be the right decision.

In 2014 and 2015, I took some time off from trucking and tried to adjust to the regular job schedule. As great as it was being home every night, spending more time with friends and family, the road was calling again.

It’s hard to describe that feeling you get from a clean ride, early morning coffee, the glow of the chicken lights and the perfect sunrise. There is only one rule: don’t be late to the customer! What you do with your time in between is up to you. So I started back in a truck, staying local. That lasted a couple of weeks before I wanted to run everywhere again.

I found a 2005 379 Peterbilt with a CAT engine, 18-speed transmission and 3.36 rears. I knew it needed work but I figured I could bring it back to life. It certainly needed work. I put a lot of money into that truck in a short period of time. After fixing roof lights, platinum in-frame and wiring, it decided to catch fire at a Holiday Inn parking lot in Niagara Falls. But even through all that, it never let me down on a load.

I was tired of that truck trying to bankrupt me, so I soon hunted for another one. My buddy had a 94 Freightliner Cabover with a blue interior. I told him that if he ever wanted to sell it, he should let me know, and eventually, I got the call, so I took it. I sold the Peterbilt right away to a fellow in Ontario. I ran into him a few months later and asked how it worked. He had painted it and said it was running team to Texas back to Ontario regularly and never had an issue. I was happy to hear that, as I could never sell a truck knowing it needed something. I always fixed everything right away and properly.

Now, I had my childhood dream truck that was similar to the one my Dad drove. The 94 Freightliner Cabover has a 5ek cat engine, 18spd, and 3.90 gears. Now I got to see what trucking in a Cabover was like. I hired on with Canusa Transport out of BC, running a tandem flatbed throughout North America. I knew the AC needed fixing and decided I would get around to it eventually. Well, I got a load to Phoenix, AZ, in June. Needless to say, I was not happy with myself for putting that off. It was reading anywhere from 44 to 50 in the sun. And having that engine right under me was like being in a sauna. Even the mattress was too hot to sit on, let alone try to sleep. I returned home and decided I would never run a truck without AC again.

The following May, I was loaded with air units to a school in Austin, TX, and my girlfriend Katie jumped in and suggested we make a holiday out of it. It was one of the best trips I ever had. After we had unloaded, we spent a few days sightseeing and made some great friends. Little did we know that two of us went south on that trip, and three came back north.

Fast forward eight months, and we are prepared to welcome our little girl into the world. I decided to do one last trip and be home early and ready for when she arrived. I was in Duluth, MN when my phone rang at 1:30 am. Our baby had decided she wanted to come into this world a little early, and I was supposed to load the following day for BC. Panicking, I called dispatch, and I’ll never forget Chris just saying, “Family comes first.” I put the truck in the going home gear and headed for the border in one heck of a snowstorm. I figured I might make it in time if I could get to Winnipeg and get on a plane. I told my mom in Ontario what was happening and that she would be a grandma shortly. She called me every hour or so to make sure I knew I wasn’t completely alone and to make it home safely.

I reached out for a place to park my truck and quickly had some help from Dean Myhre and Doug Drobot.

Who I had never met in person, but we all had Cabovers. Doug’s wife had the car started and was going to take me to the airport when I got there. As I waited in line to cross the border, I got a call saying the baby had arrived safely and she and momma were doing great. I decided just to drive straight home since everyone was okay. Many emotions and thoughts run through a man’s mind in that circumstance, and I had 14 hours to think about all of them. I finally got to the hospital at 3 am to see my daughter for the first time. I’ll forever be grateful to everyone for doing everything they could to help a guy get home in time. Thank you!

I can honestly admit that not being there took a toll on me. I knew that I loved trucking and enjoyed the company, but I wanted to be around for my kids more often. After some lengthy discussion, We decided to start our own company, which I had always wanted. This just sped it up a bit. In November 2018, the first truck was on the road, and I added two more right away. I’m fortunate that guys were willing to try a new company and work with the challenges that come with it. It’s a team effort, and everyone has a big role to play.

In April 2020, the world was in the beginning stages of the pandemic, and our second daughter was ready to enter the world. Now, this time, I was home and nervously ready. Katie, however, was calm as could be. I was racing to the hospital and remember her telling me to slow down as we had a couple of hours yet. We got settled into the room on Easter weekend and found that our trucks were being held up at the border. Katie, who was ready to give birth, was on the phone trying to clear border paperwork while I was on the phone with drivers and customers. That was when we felt the full responsibility of owning the company. But through all that, the 2nd baby was healthy, and the guys got across the border, and we went home. All of our drivers were great and understanding. I’ve always said we have the best crew you could ask for.

As a new company, we were unsure what the pandemic would bring and what it could do to us.

But we worked through it as a team, supporting one another and the choices we were forced to make. Our customers stayed loyal, and we gained a few along the way. We came out the other side, still standing and stronger, knowing we had each other’s backs. I’m incredibly proud of the guys we have and how we got through something that was so unprecedented. We are optimistic about the future as we continue to ride the wild wave of transportation and logistics through economic and political uncertainty.

One of the most memorable trips I ever made (next to our Texas trip) was when one of our drivers, Steve, and I loaded up some 100-year-old antique horse wagons from south Calgary, going to a winery in Malibu, California. They were old but in great shape, and they bought them to use for estate tours. We blanket-wrapped everything and got the ten wagons on two trucks.

We got into Barstow, CA and had the trucks all polished up to make a great impression at the winery. It was a beautiful drive up the Mulholland highway but not ideal for big trucks.

We got unloaded and returned to a wide spot just before the interstate. We parked there and decided to visit a local steak house for Steve’s birthday. We had a great meal, a few pops, and lots of laughs. The next day, we decided to rent a Dodge Challenger and go sightseeing. We went to all the famous piers we could and filled up on lobster rolls in Santa Monica. We went to the Hollywood sign and Walk of Fame, ate at the famous hotdog stand and might have left some rubber and tire marks on Rodeo Drive. We looked a little out of place, but did we have fun that weekend. Sometimes, we get so busy making a living that we forget to have a life.

I’m forever grateful to Ralph and Karen Hunter for giving a kid who wanted it so bad a chance to prove himself and get the wheels rolling. Ken Bilben, who put up with me as an employee the longest and was an upstanding mentor for myself and countless other guys over his successful career as a fire captain and business owner.

our daughters for enduring the long days away from home and making trucking a family business, my ultimate dream, come true.