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Precious cargo: Longtime truckers get assignment of a lifetime with hauling U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Dwain Hebda - November 26, 2020

In more than four decades on the road, Theron Schmalzried has seen a little bit of everything and dealt with situations where quick wits and a cool head saved the day. So, when Walt Schattinger, president of Colorado-based Apex Transportation called him recently, he was all ears. Nothing, however, could have prepared Schmalzried for what the boss had to tell him: He was going to be part of a team that would deliver the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree — aka “The People’s Christmas Tree” — to Washington, D.C. “When Walt called me, I could tell by his tone of voice it wasn’t a prank,” Schmalzried said. “Walt was pretty excited, and it is an exciting opportunity. It’s kind of neat.” Schmalzried and fellow trucking lifer William “Butch” Hanna were tapped for the honor based in part on their experience. Schmalzried has 42 years of truck-driving experience, 23 of them with Apex, while Hanna has been behind the wheel for 41 years and driving with Apex for 17. Along the way, both have been recognized by the industry with numerous driver and safety awards. “It means a lot to me because there’s just a handful of guys that get a chance to do this. It’s just an honor,” Hanna said. “My grandkids are all excited.” Every year, a different national forest is selected to provide a tree to display on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol building for the holiday season. The 2020 tree, a 55-foot Engelmann Spruce, was harvested Nov. 6 in Colorado’s Uncompahgre National Forest. From there, it embarked on a tour within the state beginning Nov. 10. The tour, themed Experience Your Nature, was a joint partnership between Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests, the nonprofit Choose Outdoors and Colorado Tourism. Hanna handled the driving for the Colorado portion of the journey; then he switched off with Schmalzried, who took the load the bulk of the way east. The duo then met up for the final leg of the run into Washington D.C. Hanna said his portion of the route and scheduled stops went smoothly, even though COVID-19 forced at least one event’s cancellation and turned the rest into either drive-by viewing opportunities or designated zones where the public could view the motorcade as it passed through. “The disappointing part is … this COVID stuff,” Hanna said. “Instead of people coming up to the trailer, they just got to drive by and look at it. That’s kind of disappointing. But as far the route itself, everything went really good.” The run ultimately covered almost 2,000 miles. Transporting the tree from the harvest site in Colorado to D.C. was a Kenworth T680 featuring the PACCAR Powertrain of a 455-hp PACCAR MX-13 engine and 12-speed automated transmission. Equipped with a 76-inch sleeper, the rig also boasts PACCAR 40K tandem rear axles. Inside, the truck is spec’d with Kenworth’s “Driver’s Studio,” with a 180-degree passenger swivel seat and a 90-degree rotating table; a Kenworth Diamond VIT interior; premium Kenworth GT703 seats; predictive cruise control; Kenworth Nav+HD system; a liftable lower bunk and a stowable upper bunk; and Kenworth TruckTech+ Remote Diagnostics. “It is an honor for Kenworth to participate in this important annual American tradition and provide a Kenworth truck to deliver the ‘The People’s Tree’ for the seventh consecutive year,” said Laura Bloch, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. Those interested in the trek were able to track the progress of the run online. Using FleetLocate by Spireon’s advanced trailer management technology, capitoltreetracker.com provided real-time GPS location tracking of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree as it made its way from the GMUG National Forests in Colorado to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Cross-country runs aren’t new to either driver. Schmalzried, 68, started driving to earn extra money while attending college in Texas. “I was hauling fuel for a friend of mine. As a hungry college kid, I didn’t have any money. I had to make as much money as I could to go to school,” said the Kansas native. “Well, if you needed some money back then, there was always an old truck you could go get in and make a little. A lot of times, I’d go to college in the day and I’d haul fuel for him at night.” Colorado-born Hanna, 62, started driving at age 21, following in the tracks of his father and grandfather. “My grandpa and my dad were truck drivers, and both retired from the Union Pacific Railroad driving trucks,” he said. “I started for a little freight outfit called Evergreen Freight, then just kept driving, kept moving up, more money, different companies over the years.” Both men say they’ve seen a lot come and go during their careers, starting with an emphasis on safety. Both drivers have taken this part of the job very seriously, as evidenced by their many awards and commendations. “Safety is a huge thing anymore,” said Schmalzried. “If you don’t drive safely, it can bankrupt you in a second.” Hanna holds three Driver of the Year awards from the Colorado Motor Carrier Association (CMCA). Schmalzried holds a long-haul Driver of the Year award (“Don’t ask me what year,” he said, “I can’t remember”) plus multiple Driver of the Month awards at both the company and association levels. “Then also, some insurance thingamajig safety certificates,” Schmalzried said with a chuckle. The tree made one final promotional stop in North Carolina before being delivered to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Nov. 20. Upon arrival, it was decorated with handmade ornaments specially created by Coloradans. The tree was scheduled to be lit during ceremonies in early December. On the last jaunt into D.C., Schmalzried was joined not only by Hanna, but by company president Walt Schattinger as well. Schmalzried said that, as honored as he was to drive the truck, he felt equally proud to see his boss get to enjoy the moment. “This is something that don’t happen to very many people, to get that chance to do it, or for a trucking outfit to do it,” Schmalzried said. “Walt’s a great guy and he deserves it. He’s worked hard and he stuck his neck out real far over the years. It’s deserving for him. I’m as happy about that as I am for myself. Hanna agreed, calling the tree assignment a fitting cap to a rewarding career. “I didn’t hesitate [to accept the assignment] at all, because I thought I’m probably only going to work another two or three years and then I’m going to try and retire,” Hanna said. “I thought this would just sum up my career really nice, you know? I felt pretty honored.”

Labor of love: Team-driving couple remodeled their 1996 Freightliner into a showpiece

Linda Garner-Bunch - November 3, 2020

It’s hard to miss Daniel and Phyllis Snow’s tractor-trailer, dubbed “The Goose,” on the highway … or anywhere, for that matter. The eye-catching emerald green 1996 Freightliner Classic XL, powered by a 700-horsepower Detroit engine teamed with a 13-speed transmission, is attached to a 140-inch sleeper, with a small back “patio” positioned between the tractor and the custom 53-foot trailer. Altogether, the rig measures a whopping 85 feet in length. The sleeper, rescued from a salvage yard, is more like a compact home on wheels, with a full kitchen, a dining area, a full-size fold-out bed and a bathroom, complete with a shower. The trailer is outfitted with a compact workshop so the two can make improvements and repairs any time. Converting a small storage space into the workshop/maintenance room won the pair the title of American Truckers of the Year in 2014. “We have rebuilt it and remodeled all of it ourselves,” Daniel said. “We have done about all of it (while) on the road. We are more appreciative that we have done it ourselves.” When the couple bought the tractor, it had a 260-inch wheelbase, which has been stretched to 351 inches, Daniel said. Phyllis noted that the stretching and the paint job are about the only tasks the couple did not tackle themselves. The tractor is decked out with a Twisted Roads bumper lift. Almost all the lights are Grand General, and most of the stainless-steel elements were custom built. The fenders on the truck and trailer are by Talladega Fiberglass. So far, the couple has spent about $80,000 on parts and labor, rebuilding their Freightliner. When they purchased the truck, it cost $24,500, but Daniel said it is now appraised at $250,000. It’s no surprise that The Goose has won or placed in several truck shows over the years. “It is worth about three times the amount from when we bought it,” Daniel said with a smile. The couple, who have been married for nearly 30 years, are the owner-operators of Arkansas-based Snow Trucking. Daniel has been in the trucking business for about 40 years, while Phyllis has been driving about half that time. They’ve run as a team for more than 16 years. Before joining her husband on the road, Phyllis managed a Walmart store. “I don’t think everybody could do it,” Daniel said, referring to team driving. “Running as a team takes a lot of patience, because you are in tight quarters with each other for long periods of time. It gets pretty complicated, but she and I do real well. We enjoy being together all the time.” Although spending a lot of time in a small space with a significant other might be stressful at times, Phyllis said the couple “wouldn’t have it any other way.” They typically run about 340 days out of the year, and they were only home 26 nights last year. “We don’t do well apart,” Phyllis added. Daniel said he discovered his love of trucking at an early age, riding along with his older brother, a trucker, at every opportunity. “I took a love to the trucking industry. It came natural to me,” Daniel said. “It is a good, honest way to make a living — and by no means the easiest.” In the early days of the couple’s relationship, Daniel said, Phyllis was enthusiastic about the trucking industry and that she “took a liking” to riding along with her spouse. Little did Phyllis know that she would one day join Daniel on the road full time as a team driver. “As fate would have it, when our youngest graduated high school, [Phyllis] decided to leave her job because they were going to relocate her — so the timing just worked out,” Daniel said. “God’s plan just fell together.” Phyllis said her youngest son, Jayme, and Daniel taught her to drive through “old-school trucking” techniques. She learned how to read a map, drive on the road and conduct pre-trip inspections. “It was the only way to go. I loved it,” she said, adding that Jayme, now 34, owns Snow Farms Trucking. Daniel said Phyllis “cut her teeth” hauling a cattle trailer. Even though it was challenging for her, “she adapted well, because she wanted to learn,” he said, with pride evident in his voice, Daniel said that when Phyllis started driving, the couple had seven trucks and 10 cattle trailers. They kept the fleet running until around 2012. Today, the couple sticks to The Goose. Of course, there’s a story behind the rig’s name. It all started when Jayme drove through a flock of ducks in his rig. The tractor sustained considerable damage — so much damage, in fact, that the insurance adjuster had a hard time believing the carnage was the result of “just” ducks — earning Jayme’s rig a “fowl” nickname. Then, along came The Goose. “I saw an old goose with some ducks one day and thought, ‘Wow, they run together!’ so we named the trucks Duck and Goose,” Phyllis explained with a laugh. The Snows share a love of trucking, as well as a strong Christian faith, Phyllis said, pointing to the couple’s motto emblazoned on the front bumper: In God We Truck. The pair designed the truck to draw attention “so we could share the word,” she said. Over the years, Daniel said, the pair has become known as a couple that tries to help other drivers. “If it is mechanical help, I have a lot of contacts, so I’ll be glad to do that,” he said. “We don’t hand out any money, but we do carry Bibles with us that the church supplies us with,” he said. “We are trying to do God’s work and haul freight at the same time.” Daniel said that if other drivers need prayers or help, they often call or email the couple. “Prayer is our way of trying to help,” he said. “It is a good feeling to help somebody.” In addition to helping others, the couple’s faith has helped them weather many storms, they said, adding that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 promised to be an out-of-the-ordinary year. “Phyllis had a heart attack in February, so we have been home more than normal this year,” Daniel said. “The freight index and rates have been low as well, and the coronavirus has impacted us.” Daniel said Phyllis has a defective artery. She spent about a week in the hospital, including five days in the intensive care unit. The down time isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the two agreed. “Right now, we are really enjoying the ‘us’ time. We spend a lot of time talking about things we want to do to the truck,” Daniel said. Phyllis said they are constantly looking for more ideas for the truck, adding that she would like to flip the hinges on the doors on the cab, creating “suicide” doors that open from the back rather than the front, and that they are also planning some more interior work. “We want to improve on the truck in the inside and out. We seem to have a lot to talk about,” Daniel said. “Usually the shops are so backlogged, and there aren’t a lot of shops that can work on older trucks. Since our truck is an older model, (having our own shop space) does make it easier on us. Being able to fix things yourself makes a huge difference.” Daniel said he hopes to be able to pass that self-efficient attitude and love of trucking down to his family. Phyllis added that being a truck driver, “gets into your blood.” “Our youngest son, it got in his blood as well,” Daniel said. “Our grandson, who is 6, has a piggy bank and he is saving his money to buy a truck. “(All of our grandkids) have a trucking desire. They all love it.” After years on the road together, Daniel and Phyllis have the following advice to future generations of truck drivers: Do all you can to keep costs down, and be proud to be a trucker. Story by Linda Garner-Bunch and Sam Pierce. Photos by Linda Garner-Bunch. Get more articles like this delivered to your inbox, once weekly.

The cat in the cab: Feline friend brings comfort to driver while on the road

Sarah DeClerk - October 29, 2020

Their staunchly aloof nature may never garner cats the title of “man’s best friend,” but Muninn Myrkvi, an over-the-road truck driver for GP Transco, has found his ideal travel buddy in Pickles, a Maine Coon cat. “Pickles has the ability to brighten anyone’s day,” Myrkvi said. “Whenever anyone spots him through the window, I get smiles and a thumbs up.” A cat is perhaps a good match for Myrkvi, a self-described loner who said the relative independence of truck driving is what drew him to the industry a couple of years ago. Although he values the solitude of the open road, he said, he wanted a companion to accompany him. That’s what led him to adopt Pickles, then 6, from a friend in August 2019. “Pickles had never been in a truck when I adopted him,” Myrkvi said. “At first he was very curious about everything, exploring every nook and cranny — but he was very confused and skittish when the truck started moving.” It only took a week for Pickles to settle down and begin peeking through the passenger window during drives, Myrkvi said, adding that the feline still has a fear of truck washes. Pickles spends most of his time snoozing in the passenger seat, on the sleeper bunk or — his favorite spot — the upper storage area above the top bunk of Myrkvi’s 2019 Volvo VNL 760. Pickles enjoys the same pampering as any house cat … with a few modifications. Myrkvi said he keeps Pickles’ water dish inside another container to avoid spills while the truck is moving, and he uses pine pellets instead of clay litter to reduce odor and facilitate easy cleanup. “I feel really fortunate that Pickles is so attached to being in the truck,” he added. “One of my greatest fears is that he’ll somehow get out, and he’ll be lost forever.” Indoor cats make great truck pets because they’re content in confined spaces and view the outside world with a leeriness that discourages them from running away, Myrkvi said. He advises truckers to avoid adopting outside cats that wouldn’t appreciate being cooped up in a cab. Unlike dogs, cats do not need to be walked, he added. Myrkvi said he knows a few road cats that enjoy outdoor strolls, but Pickles is not among them. “In the early days, I would occasionally encourage him to take walks with me outside on a harness and leash I got for him, but he made it very clear that he wasn’t interested,” Myrkvi said. “Occasionally he’ll work up the courage to come out of the door and sit on the step if I’m nearby, but he’ll dart back into the truck at the slightest strange noise.” Myrkvi said he would recommend a truck pet to any driver with the ability to care for the animal (along with a pet-friendly company policy). Myrkvi’s company, GP Transco, allows drivers to take their pets on the road without paying pet fees, he said, but drivers are responsible for any damages to the company’s trucks. “I’m fortunate that GP Transco has a liberal pet policy,” he said. “Other drivers at GP Transco also have cats. We keep in touch from time to time regarding our cats and their various adventures.” Myrkvi drives to all 48 contiguous states, but he prefers to stay close to Indiana, where he is starting an alpaca ranch. “I’ve always wanted to be able to get into farming of some sort. Preferring animals, yet preferring not to kill them, led me to alpacas,” he said. “I love their demeanor. They’re a lot like cats in some ways — curious, affectionate, but on their own terms.” The alpacas are currently being boarded while he fences the land and stocks up on supplies in hopes of bringing them home next spring, he said, adding that he has lined up a couple helpers to care for the animals while he drives. Myrkvi takes Pickles to visit the property, where his mother lives, when he has home time every other weekend. “He likes it there, possibly even more than the truck, although he never has time to fully adjust,” Myrkvi said. He added that he is thinking about leaving Pickles at “home” for longer periods of time if his mother is willing to care for the critter — but it is clear that Myrkvi enjoys having his furry friend with him on the road. “Just knowing Pickles is around helps keep my anxiety down as I go through my day,” he said. “I tend to keep to myself even more than the typical OTR trucker, so Pickles helps alleviate loneliness. I also love when he cuddles up at night.”