It wasnât a bad injector or cracked cylinder head that put this truck out of operation. Rather, the 2011 Mack Titan was the truck of choice for part of the 2011 Worldâs Strongest Man competition, held in Charlotte, N.C. Competitors acted as if roadside assistance was not available and pulled all 22,000 pounds of the Titan â a truck Mack calls the âmost powerfulâ itâs ever built â for almost 30 yards. The contest was won by Hapfor Julius Bjornsson of Iceland.
Set on a trailer and pulled by a Kenworth T660, this 6-ton, 28-foot-long potato was unveiled at the Dec. 17 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. This spud stud has since set off on a national, yearlong tour in honor of the Idaho Potato Commissionâs 75th anniversary. To learn more about the tour, go to bigidahopotato.com.
Better health
⢠Drinking ice water with your meal helps you feel fuller and eat less food. Order extra ice with your drink and you will burn more calories as your body expends energy heating up the water.
⢠Chew each bite 40 times instead of the usual 15 most people average. Extra chewing may result in eating fewer calories per meal. The chewing motion helps fight hunger by reducing your appetite.
⢠Pack your daily snacks before you hit the road to avoid the need to spring for unhealthy convenience items. Put in reusable Ziplock bags and keep handy for snack attacks.
The above tips are part of our sister magazine Truckers Newsâ Daily Health Tip offering. Get them delivered daily via truckersnews.com/healthtips.
GAUGES
A weak second half
Forecast: Rising rates
Last year through November, contract rates rose an average 6.5 percent compared to year-ago figures, while spot market rates increased 7.4 percent, load matching service TransCore says. Spot market rates rose unevenly in 2011, especially for vans, says TransCore analyst Mark Montague.
Rates are likely to climb as carriersâ costs increase, and especially if the economy improves. âExpect rates to head up as soon as mid-March,â Montague says.
Monthly truck loan payment
* Percentages do not add to 100 percent due to rounding
Jan. 9, 2012 diesel price averages
Creature Comforts
Fifth-generation driver Ronnie Graves has put his own stamp on his familyâs trucking tradition ever since he first sat in a truck cab as an infant in his fatherâs lap. Graves, a native of Sumter County, Fla., lost his left leg as a youth, but the loss served as a challenge, not a detriment, to work hard and help those in need, such as 9,700 animals in the last two years alone.

He was a long-haul trucker until 1979, when he became a full-time prosthetist and orthotist, though he kept his CDL. In 1998, after a series of devastating wildfires in Florida, he was enlisted to haul animals for the first time. He and 15 friends built compounds to house the rescued animals, and soon the State Agriculture Department and the Humane Society become involved. Graves and his wife started the Sumter Disaster Animal Response Team in 2004 after rescuing animals in Punta Corda, Fla., in Hurricane Charleyâs wake.
âI had a garage full of Ford Mustangs and sold all but one,â he says, to finance the rescue equipment, including two tractor-trailers. One 53-foot trailer has 84 stainless steel kennels, four heating and cooling units, oxygen monitors, carbon dioxide monitors, living quarters for a handler and other custom features.
Those interested in being a part of the operation can find information at sumterdart.org. â Elizabeth Manning
TRUCK GALLERY
Leola, Pa., resident Lamar Buckwalter, former flatbed hauler and now dispatcher for JRC Transportation, uses his 2000 Peterbilt 379 in Make-a-Wish Foundation events, including a Motherâs Day convoy in Lancaster County each year. Buckwalter worked the truck full-time before retiring two years ago. The truck is powered by a 500-hp Caterpillar and an 18-speed transmission.
Port Orange special
Hot Wheels
SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO To display your truck online and have it considered for Overdriveâs Truck Gallery, go to the Reader Truck Gallery at www.OverdriveOnline.com.
CHANNEL 19
Reactions to news of the handheld cell phone use ban ranged from muted support to the most common theme â that the safety problem handheld phones represent might be better addressed
Who got occupied at the ports?
Truckingâs top troubadour

Among todayâs trucking songwriters, Leland Martin brings a lifetime of guitar picking, with no shortage of truck driving, to boot. His new âWorkinâ Classâ record is inspired in part by specialized owner-operator Colin Stuartâs âWorking Classâ work and show rig. Stuart and Martin met at the 2010 Walcott Truckers Jamboree and have been talking since â many of the âWorkinâ Classâ songs are direct descendants of those conversations. For links to a longer feature
For more of the interesting and odd parts of trucking, visit Senior Editor Todd Dillsâ Channel 19 blog at OverdriveOnline.com/channel19.
CALENDAR
MARCH 6-8: THE WORK TRUCK SHOW, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, www.ntea.com, (800) 441-6832.
MARCH 11: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS, Move clocks forward one hour.
MARCH 22-24: MID-AMERICA TRUCKING SHOW, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, www.truckingshow.com, (502) 899-3892.
APRIL 13-14: ATHS CHAPTERS SOUTHEAST REGIONAL TRUCK SHOW, I-40 exits 392 or 394, Knoxville, Tenn., (865) 789-7771.
APRIL 27-29: 75 CHROME SHOP ANNUAL TRUCK SHOW, I-75 exit 329, Wildwood, Fla., www.75chromeshop.com, (866) 255-6206.
APRIL 27-29: TRUCK SHOW & BBQ ATHS Central California Chapter, Kirkland Ranch, Plymouth, Calif., Dennis Chan, (916) 381-6063.
APRIL 28: ATHS NORTHWEST CHAPTER ANTIQUE TRUCK SHOW, Harold E. LeMay Marymount Museum, Spanaway, Wash., Roy Friis, (360) 866-7716.
MAY 4-5: MIDWEST PRIDE IN YOUR RIDE TRUCK/TRACTOR SHOW, Tri-State Raceway, Earlville, Iowa, Eldon Jaeger, (560) 580-8200.
MAY 6: ATHS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER ANTIQUE TRUCK SHOW, Orange Empire Rail Museum, Perris, Calif., Ken Lund, (909) 790-7707.
MAY 19: ATHS SHENANDOAH VALLEY CHAPTER TRUCK SHOW, Lawn Party Grounds, Green Street, I-81 exit 240, Bridgewater, Va., (540) 478-4389, https://www.yahoo.com/.
JUNE 10: ATHS METRO JERSEY CHAPTER, Automatic Switch Co., Florham Park, N.J., (973) 726-4586, https://www.msn.com/.
JUNE 14-16: GREAT WEST TRUCK SHOW, Custom Rigs Pride & Polish, Las Vegas Sands Expo & Convention Center, (888) 349-4287, www.greatwesttruckshow.com.
JULY 12-13: WALCOTT TRUCKERS JAMBOREE, Iowa 80 Truck Stop, I-80 Exit 284, Walcott, Iowa, www.iowa80truckstop.com.
AUG. 11: BROCKWAY TRUCKS 100th ANNIVERSARY, Cortland, N.Y., www.brockwaytrucks.org.
AUG. 23-25: GREAT AMERICAN TRUCKING SHOW, Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, www.gatsonline.com.