It’s Classy Truck Contest Time

Contractors show off their cool trucks, but last year’s winner was the coolest … quite literally

In this issue, you’ll find our Classy Truck of the Year contest package, complete with information, photos and voting information so readers can help choose the top truck from 2010. As this is the fifth year of the contest, I stopped to review the first four winners, which graced the cover of the February issue of this magazine, the issue distributed at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International.

I remain impressed by the trucks and the fantastic photos we’ve been able to publish of the winning vehicles. All of these trucks — well appointed and beautifully painted — underscore the growing professionalism of the liquid waste industry.

As for the photos, the cover shot from earlier this year really took the cake. And there’s an interesting story behind the photo shoot that captured pumper Glenn Larson’s rig, a 2004 Kenworth, re-fashioned from a milk hauler to a waste hauler. The lengths to which Larson, owner of Enviro Pump-Plus Inc., went to ensure his truck looked its best for the photo is a testament to his pumper pride.

Larson’s rig, retrofitted with a Progress stainless steel tank, National Vacuum Equipment pump, a hoist and a Cougar hydraulic vibrator, was chosen as the 2009 winner right around last Christmas. During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, photographer Todd Finlo was asked to shoot the truck near Larson’s Balaton, Minn., home. But weather created some challenges: heavy snowfall followed by frigid temperatures on the Minnesota prairie.

Larson worked with Finlo to capture a beautiful image of the truck in a winter wonderland setting. When I saw the results, I had to ask Finlo what went into producing perhaps the best glamour shot of a vacuum truck I’ve ever seen.

Finlo explained that Larson cleaned up the truck in his heated shop, then drove it several miles on snow-covered roads to a location with a backdrop of pine trees laden with snow. In early-morning temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees below zero, Larson detailed the parked truck again, washing off all of the road slop. Then Larson, his wife Karen, and their driver Todd Vander Wal posed with the truck for some of the photos.

Sure, Minnesota pumpers are hardy souls; they work in some pretty tough winter conditions. But Larson and photographer Finlo proved their dedication to their jobs. Their work is worthy of another look, so we’ll include a photo here.

We need to reward the hard work of all of the pumpers who submit photos for the Classy Truck contest. So please take a moment to review the monthly winners for 2010 and go to www.pumper.com and vote for your favorite truck. And while you’re at it, why not send us a photo of your Classy Truck? We might one day see your rig on the cover of Pumper.

CHECK OUT THE CALENDAR

While you’re paging through this month’s issue, please check out our new pull-out wall-size 2011 Pumper calendar. Brought to you by advertising sponsors, this is our first wall calendar for readers, and we’ve seen a great deal of positive response to the idea. The calendar is 32 by 21 inches and perfect for hanging on the wall in your office and using as a monthly planner.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.