Dana Guthrie

When driving down the highway, there is no chance of missing truck driver Myrna Chartrand — and she wouldn’t have it any other way. With her signature bright pink hair and black and pink truck to match, Chartrand, 40, is known for bringing light and joy to everyone she meets along the way. “The hair has to go with the truck,” Chartrand said with a cheerful laugh. “That’s just how I am. It makes it easy for people to pick me out as the driver of the truck.” Chartrand, who grew up in Oak Point, Manitoba, Canada, with her parents, Dave and Carol, and brother, Corey, now makes her home in Winnipeg. Her family is familiar with the trucking industry: Her father drove construction trucks when she was young, and her brother later became the first on-road trucker in the family. Chartrand soon had her eyes set on making trucking her career as well. “I would have liked to become a truck driver right when I graduated,” Chartrand said. “Corey was already a truck driver, and he would tell stories of the road. They maybe were not the best stories; (they were) about people who would do harm or damage. My mom said that her little girl was not going to be a truck driver.” So, Chartrand looked for another career. “My mom gave me a college catalog and told me to pick something else that was not trucking,” Chartrand said. “I went to college at and got my diploma in chemical and land science technology.” After graduating from Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg, Chartrand joined Apotex, a pharmaceutical company. She first began working there while still in school as part of a work experience program. After graduating, the company asked her to stay on — and she did, for seven years. Although she enjoyed her work in pharmaceuticals, she said, trucking was still calling her name. “I was just like, ‘I think it’s time for me to try trucking now,’” Chartrand said. “In my mind, I had some street smarts by that point, and I was adult, and I thought I could handle it. I called my family and said, ‘I think I want to be a trucker.’” Shortly after following her call to the road, Apotex was sold, resulting in a number of layoffs. In Chartrand’s mind, this cemented the thought that she should follow her passion into trucking. “It’s one of those things where I thought, ‘I won’t know if I like it unless I try,’” she said, adding that once she started trucking school, she started having second thoughts. “I wasn’t sure if it was right for me. I wasn’t picking it up right away; I was not a natural. I’m one of those people where if I don’t get it right away, then I think maybe I shouldn’t be doing it,” she said. “My brother encouraged me, and kept telling me that I would get it. He said to just keep plugging away and encouraged me to keep going.” And that’s exactly what she did. “I am very glad that I did, because I absolutely love it now. I was lucky enough to have a good support group behind me,” she said. After finishing trucking school, Chartrand got her first job with Lee River Transport in 2008. “I literally went from the testing station, getting my Class 1 license, to Lee River, where they hired me on the spot,” she said. “I always joke that the paint wasn’t even dry on my license when I got my first job. I was very lucky. My brother worked there also, and we drove together for a while, with him teaching me the ropes.” Chartrand was only with Lee River for a short time before leaving to help take care of her mother, who was fighting cancer. She took an administrative job at a local trucking company so that she could be with her mother in her final days. Her brother also left the carrier, signing on with Portage Trucking. After the death of their mother, Chartrand says, her brother encouraged her to get back on the road. She jumped at the opportunity and joined Portage in 2009, where she remains today. “My brother has been very good to me,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve only had two trucking jobs, and my brother helped me get both of them.” That’s not to imply Chartrand doesn’t know what she’s doing — quite the opposite, in fact. In 2018, Chartrand was honored with the Manitoba Driver of the Year Award. Chartrand loves her work and the variety it provides. “Lots of people like structure — and structure is good at times — but I like seeing new things every day and meeting new people,” she said. “The friendships I’ve made along the way are really high on my list of good things about this job. A lot of my best friends are people I’ve met through trucking.” Since joining Portage 13 years ago, Chartrand has had three trucks. Her second and third trucks have featured her signature pink, including a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. Although her mother did not have breast cancer, Chartrand said the trucks honor her mother’s life — and they open doors for conversations during her travels. “I’ve had so many people come and tell me their stories of their experiences with breast cancer, and that is really important to me,” Chartrand said. “I don’t know them from Adam, but they share something very personal. I can relate to them when they tell me their stories, having lost a parent myself. I know what that feels like.” Her current truck, black teamed with her iconic pink, is a show stopper wherever she goes. Chartrand says she loves her career, especially the family atmosphere that trucking provides. “The biggest surprise in this career has been the camaraderie and family in trucking,” she said. “I thought it was going to kind of be this secluded job, but we actually are a family. Nobody leaves you hanging.”

The life story of Rodney Crouch, owner and operator of Indiana-based Dangerfield Trucking, is a biography you don’t realize you need in your life until you hear it. His is a life full of highs and lows, happiness and sadness — but ultimately, one of triumph and peace. Rather than being on the “Highway to Hell,” you could say he’s on the highway to heaven. One of 11 children, Crouch was born in Munson, Indiana. While he currently lives in Indianapolis, he counts his truck as true home, which houses both him and his faithful travel partner, a lively pup named Sammi. “I’m basically married to my truck,” Crouch said with a laugh that immediately makes you feel like you’re talking with an old friend. Crouch didn’t start out in the trucking industry. It was a ride-along with his cousin Angela, a trucker, that sparked his interest in setting his sights on a career as a driver. “After that trip I went back home, where I was working two restaurant jobs and working 80 hours a week and still not being able to make ends meet,” he said. “I knew I had to make a change. I applied to trucking school and that was it.” Crouch said he most enjoys the people he gets to meet along the way, as well as the places he gets to see while driving. He started out driving for other companies, but says he wasn’t making the money he needed to support himself and his children. Eventually, he made the dive into his own business. The story of Dangerfield Trucking itself and how it got its name is the stuff of legend. Named after legendary comedian Rodney “I get no respect” Dangerfield, Crouch says the moniker was inspired by a very dear friend, Herman, who has since passed away. “He was a man who went to our church, and I remember watching him throughout the years. He was an inspiration. I saw him go from only having a pick-up truck to owning his own business,” Crouch said. “He was really close to our family and every time he saw me, he would shout out, ‘Dangerfield!’” he continued. “It became my nickname, and when he passed away … well, I had always wanted to start my own business, and when I was thinking of names, it just came to me. It was just meant to be.” The name isn’t the only part of Crouch’s business that has deep personal meaning. His truck, a 2016 Western Star, is a moving work of art that pays homage to some of his favorite musicians. He had saved money make a down payment on a different truck, but when his son had an accident falling off a cliff, those plans were quickly scrapped. Crouch said the seller understood his circumstances and even refunded the money he had paid. Then, just 30 days later, he received a call from the same seller, telling him they had found the perfect truck that required a smaller down payment — the Western Star he drives today. “When I went to pick up the truck, there were vinyl graphics already on the side from the previous owner,” Crouch said, adding that the truck had belonged to a Vietnam veteran. “It was mostly POW stuff, which I thought was so cool. Now it includes all my favorites bands. I probably have 40 bands on each side.” The graphics feature a veritable “who’s who” of musical icons, including Eddie Van Halen, Johnny Cash, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page and Pantera. A particular hero of Crouch’s is the late former guitarist of Pantera, Darrell Abbott, better known as Dimebag Darrell. In 2004, Abbott was killed onstage in Ohio while performing with the band Damageplan. During Crouch’s travels, he says he was fortunate enough to meet Abbott’s brother, Vinnie Paul, at a truck stop. He had a picture made with Paul and Chad Grey, another musician Paul played with at the time. That picture also adorns Crouch’s truck. Paul isn’t the only musical hero Crouch has gotten to know. “I went to visit Dimebag’s gravesite in Arlington, Texas” Crouch said. “I took some flowers and said hello to him.” Crouch had always wanted a tattoo of Pantera’s first album, “Cowboys From Hell,” and he says he “just got a feeling” while in Arlington that he should go to a certain tattoo parlor. The business accepted walk-ins, so Crouch showed up and told the staff what he wanted and why. “The whole place got silent, just dead silent. Everyone just turned around and looked at me. I thought I had said something wrong,” Crouch said, adding that they agreed to do the design for him. After he got his tattoo, the artist asked Crouch to step outside for a chat. He asked Crouch if he recognized another artist who was working in the Parlor. Crouch said he thought the guy looked familiar but couldn’t place him. It turns out that the artist in question was Bob Zilla, the bass player for Damageplan — who had been playing onstage with Abbott the night he was murdered. Crouch and Zilla quickly developed a friendship, one that continues to this day. In addition to several tattoos by Zilla, Crouch has some of his artwork on his truck. Of course, Crouch counts his dog, Sammi, as one of his best friends in life. She was found running around a truck stop in Indianapolis by a friend of Crouch’s. She wasn’t microchipped, and when no one claimed her, Crouch jumped at the chance to claim Sammi as his trucking buddy. “She’s been with me ever since,” he said. “I don’t know her breed, but she’s a “Nosy Nellie” and a “Dora the Explorer” to me. She has longer legs, but kind of a dachshund face. She’s crazy, and under two years old.” In addition to providing companionship, Sammi has proven to be a lifeline of sorts for Crouch. Following a near-death experience — before Sammi came into his life — Crouch realized he needed to make some big changes in his life. While grieving the loss of his beloved grandmother, Crouch had made several decisions that were not healthy either physically or mentally. When he made the choice to fight literally for his life, his world began to change for the better. Those changes are still going on to this day, he says, adding that Sammi helps him remain grounded while on the road. “She helps me learn how to play again,” Crouch said. “She helps me get out and explore. Sometimes I am so focused on work, work, work, and Sammi reminds me to be a kid. Work is something we have to do, but she teaches me to be a kid again, to have fun and be free.” In addition, Crouch says his faith in Christ and his spirituality are a core part of who he is today. After nearly losing his life, Crouch rededicated himself and was baptized. “God has definitely changed me,” Crouch said. “I’ve had wonderful God experiences where he has done things for me that I couldn’t do for myself. [That near-death experience] is what it took to wake me up.” Crouch is also considering the possibility of one day creating a church that caters to the trucking community. With most church parking lots banning truck parking, he says, there are not a lot of places those in the industry can go to worship if they wish to do so. “God is good, and he is taking care of me. I hope that I can help somebody else when I’m on the road who is struggling,” Crouch said. “That’s what I look for with connections with people on the road. How can I be of service, and how can I be a help to other drivers?” he explained. “Some days it’s all about me, and I’ve got to get out of myself, so every day I try to do something for another driver.”

Mary Peterson Norton has many passions in life — trucking, her beloved four-legged friends and the Green Bay Packers, just to name a few — and she has found the perfect way to blend them all as a professional driver. She and her canine companions, Karhma and Casey Aaron, travel the highways in a 2014 Kenworth T660 teamed with a refrigerated trailer — both decked out to proudly represent the Green Bay Packers football team, In addition to her Packer-proud truck, Norton also makes sure that her faithful traveling pals, Casey Aaron and Karhma, often sport their favorite Packer gear. In fact, the pups won first and second place in last year’s Walcott Truckers Jamboree Best Dressed Pet competition, dressed in their Packer finery. “Karhma is a rescue, and she is 14,” Norton said. “The vet thinks she is a Shih Tzu and Yorkie mix, but I don’t know. I call her a Heinz 57. Casey is a Shih Tzu and he’s a little shy. He will be 6 in September.” Originally just named Casey, Casey Aaron is of course, named after Packer’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers … but that wasn’t always the case. He was originally just plain Casey. “The people I bought him from were from Minnesota,” Norton said. “They said, ‘You named that puppy Casey, and not Aaron Rodgers?’” Norton was so tickled by the comment that she told them that Casey should have a middle name and from then on he was dubbed Casey Aaron. “They go every trip with me,” Norton said. “They are my babies.” Both dogs provide companionship and entertainment for Norton on the road. “They like to aggravate each other,” she said. “They have this thing — well, I should say, Karhma has this thing. Karhma is getting older, and she has this thing where she likes to touch something. Casey gets warm because he’s a hot-blooded dog. He’ll sit in the chair and Karhma will be in the bed in the floor by the doggie door on the passenger side. So, she will get up in the chair and sit on him. Then he gets down in the floor and this goes on and on all day. They don’t get in the sleeper because it’s not as entertaining.” Norton, who grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, says she developed a love for trucking at an early age. “We had Jersey cows, the black and white ones. We showed them at the county fairs, state fairs and national shows,” she said. Her first experience in trucking was helping haul cattle to fairs. At a young age, she was a master at loading cattle into stock trailers taking them on the road. “I had my CB radio, and I was listening to all the truckers because we lived next to the interstate,” Norton said. “(Trucking) was always in my blood.” After graduating from high school in 1977, Norton’s first step in her career was helping her father with his milk routes. She started her official trucking career in the late 1970s, and by the time the 1980s rolled around she was driving her own truck, a used Peterbilt. In 1985, she bought her first brand-new truck, an International Eagle. In the early days, she mainly ran west coast routes from Wisconsin to California for ATX, a division of Snyder National. Those runs are still her favorites to this day. Today, as an owner-operator leased to Bob Erickson Trucking, Norton hauls refrigerated poultry products from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Los Angeles, usually returning with a load of fresh produce. “Even though I basically run the same route all of the time, I always try to find something new,” she said. “(In springtime) I always like to see the baby animals being born and the leaves coming back on the trees. I love the flowers and the different scenery, especially the cactus when they are blooming in the desert. Norton relishes the freedom she feels on the road. “After 40-something years, I’ve made a lot of friends on the road, and I’ve met a lot of interesting people,” she said. Norton also shared the feeling of family that has grown over her years in the trucking industry. The people she has met over the years were there for her during one of the most heartbreaking times in her life — the death of her husband Jack in 2015. The couple had driven as a team for three decades. “We did a celebration of life for him. We didn’t really have a lot of friends in the neighborhood, but so many of our trucking friends made it up here for the celebration of his life,” Norton said. “It was unbelievable. Even the local people commented on how we had friends there from all over the country. We had people fly in from as far away as Arkansas and Texas,” she said. We had grown into such a big family. It was such a nice feeling.” Norton is doing her part to inspire the next generation of truck drivers, partnering with local schools to visit third- and fourth-grade students a few times a year. Norton, Karhma and Casey Aaron, along with their eye-catching rig, are always popular with both the youngsters and faculty. “I give all the kids a treat and they get to tour the truck,” Norton said. “It’s funny, because as shy as Casey Aaron is, he always picks one person there and that’s his person. Karhma will just run from person to person, but Casey Aaron will pick just one. This last time, it was the teacher. He wanted the teacher. He fell in love with her, and the kids were so jealous.” Norton collects different trinkets throughout the year to make sure she has something to give each student at the school. The treats range from pencils and pens to coloring books to hand-crafted items created by Norton. Each student receives a goodie bag. “I always try to make something that they can keep for a long time,” Norton said. “This year I made blankets. Last year I did beach towels.” Because she enjoys embroidery, she often stitches her name, along with Karhma and Casey Aaron’s, onto the items she shares with the kids. “I also make the kids ornaments at Christmas time — just something they can keep if they want to,” she said. “I see these kids grow up. Whenever they see me later, they always come up and give me a hug and tell me about the time I visited their class when they were little.” Although she only brings the truck at the end of the school year as a special treat for the students, Norton and her four-legged friends stop by a few times a year to visit the kids and answer questions about both her dogs and her travels. She also sends pictures and postcards from her travels throughout the year. “Sometimes this is the only way some of these kids will get a chance to see faraway places,” Norton said. One thing is for sure, this Packer proud family loves their time together on the road — and they are always ready for the next adventure.

The phrase “man’s best friend” is frequently used to express the special relationship between a human and his or her dog. The relationship between trucker Shane Lloyd and his Great Dane, Moby, exemplifies that distinction. However, Moby is more than just a best friend — he is also Lloyd’s lifeline and protection. Lloyd, an Army veteran, is an amputee. Lloyd was born in Utah but moved to Alaska where he was raised. He eventually moved back to Utah and then to Nevada; the Lloyd family now make their home in Las Vegas. Truck driving was never really something Lloyd considered as a career until an inspiration from his daughter, Gabby, sparked a dream. At the time, Lloyd and his wife, Nikole, owned an RV business but were in the process of shutting it down. “My daughter graduated from (the University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and was working at the college of Southern Nevada while also running my RV business. She already had experience driving bigger tucks,” he shared, recalling the day Gabby told him she had decided to become a truck driver. Lloyd said he knew she was up for the challenge, and he supported her decision. That decision spurred him to do a bit of research about trucking life. As he read about the industry, particularly the increase in husband-and-wife team drivers, he realized trucking could be a career for him and his wife. The couple applied for their authority, went to school and bought a truck. “We got everything done, and my wife and I started together,” Lloyd said. “We liked to travel, and the RV business had given us a way to travel. This is another option to get to do this.” Family is important to Lloyd. In addition to Gabby, Lloyd and Nikole have three other children, Chancey, Shiloh and Alexis. In that spirit, Lloyd and Nikole formed Shanik Logistics. The unusual company name comes from the first three letters in their first names, Shane and Nikole. “My favorite thing about being a business owner in this industry is the freedom,” Lloyd said. “When you are stuck in an office setting and going into the office on all days, there are not times to get away. With this, my wife and I just jump in the truck and go.” The couple enjoys the variety of scenery as they travel, plus the chance to eat at new restaurants. Shortly after leaving the Army, Lloyd said, a tragedy occurred: He was the victim of a violent attack and was shot 15 times. He was hit in the femoral artery twice, and lost his leg below the knee. That’s when Moby entered the picture. “I raised my service dog since he was eight weeks old,” Lloyd said. “He is a massive dog, and I’ve trained him to be a mobility dog. So, wherever I go, he goes. He has done everything.” Moby is essential to Lloyd’s career in trucking, and he also makes an excellent companion. It’s not all hugs and belly rubs, however. When it comes time for Moby to do his duty, Lloyd says the Great Dane is all business. “If we have a long walk to do, like at a trade show, when I am walking it’s pretty hard to swing the leg,” he explained. “I hold on to him, and he will provide me with some forward momentum, and he will heel right next to my side. I give him commands too. It’s almost like he’s driving the truck in those situations, and I’m steering him.” In addition to being a vital part of Lloyd’s career, Moby plays an important role in Lloyd’s leisure time. Lloyd says he loves to hike, and his faithful companion allows him to get out and explore. Moby is not the only canine in the Lloyd family. They also have a lab, Sitka, who was intended to be a service his service dog but was too small. Sitka weighs in at nearly 100 pounds, but with Lloyd standing at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing 240 pounds, he requires a bigger dog for assistance. “He helps in ways that most people don’t know that service dogs do,” Lloyd said. “He does a great job. When I’m in the shower — I mean, standing up on one leg in the shower is difficult. He will sit right there and hold me right up.” As for Moby, Lloyd says the dog seems to love traveling with the trucking couple. “He really enjoys the different scenery,” Lloyd said. “Every time we get somewhere or go somewhere, he is always out sniffing around. He likes to just roll with us. He is like a giant kid. “In the truck, he tells me when he is thirsty, and he has a little water jug of his own. When he is thirsty, he will tap the water jug and then look at me. When he is hungry, he will tap the food bag and look at me,” he continued. “When he needs a potty break, he will come nibble on my ear or pinch me on my shoulder. We will pull over and he will jump and do his business, then jump back into the truck.” Moby is dedicated to his human companion. “He likes just going around and seeing new places — as long as he is with me. His job is to be with me at all times,” Lloyd explained. “When are at a five-star restaurant or the theater or wherever, I have to tell him to stay if I have to go to the bathroom. Once I get up, his face will not leave that general direction until I return. He always knows where I am at. The second I am not in his line of sight, he feels like he does not have a job.” Lloyd and Moby have a long history together, including many visits to the Six Flags amusement parks, where Moby was trained to ignore all the loud sounds. The busy settings were also helpful as Moby learned to interpret the difference between happy laughter and “scary” laughter and between tears of joy versus someone who may need help. “It is all part of good training,” Lloyd said. “When I go to the airport, he is all happy and playful, but once we enter the doors, he immediately snaps into work mode. You can see that change.” One of Lloyd’s favorite Moby stories is when they were preparing to board a train in New York City while visiting some of Lloyd’s Army buddies. “This really — I mean really — creepy looking guy that caught our eye in the vestibule,” Lloyd said. “He just looked at us and Moby, and (he) whined about liking cats. Moby, out of his natural instinct to protect not only me, but my group of friends, corralled us to the back of the vestibule. He then walked toward the front and stood right between us and this guy. He looked at him and let out a low growl. He just stood there with a look to the man like he was saying, ‘Stay away from my people.’” Man’s best friend indeed!