BIG RIGS ROLLIN'

An old gray hound named a honeysuckle rose is the only woman I really [music and singing] love. She's a fourspeed lady and she rolls real easy. There's tequila in the driver she loves. And we ride [music] all night [singing] in the pale moonlight singing to the stars above. And the smokey around the curve already ain't got the nerve to mess with the woman I love. She's got a Detroit diesel and a air cushion ride and she smokes at the top of the hill. She's got [music] oversized low and a two-lane road and we don't have time to kill. Northbound, southbound, [music] eastbound, west, racing trucks and doing our best. Four lane freeways we love best. The highway is our home. Well, I think I better find me a good truck. Brought to you by gas-saving Penso Multivis. Quality in every extra mile. Ask for it. Penso. The motor oil in the bright yellow can with the red bell and the name Pens Oil. Penso gives you another reason to ask for it. See, it saves gasoline because Penso has added gas savings to their regular multi-awweight oils. So, you get all the quality and protection Penso is famous for, plus extra miles. Gas-saving Penso. Quality in every extra mile. Maybe a big rig is just a fancy pile of metal [music] riding on 18 wheels, but talk to some of the 10 million people in the United States who truck for a living, and you'll hear [music] how big rigs become a way of life. Don Pascuso Jr. is a third generation trucker. His grandfather, father, and uncles have been on the road for almost as long as there have been trucks to drive. At the age of 24, he's already been trucking for 7 [music] years. Thanks to a lot of hard work, today he's driving the truck of his dreams. I happened to be down in LA one day and drove by the Kenworth dealer and seen the truck sitting there and I don't know, something told me I just had to have it. I went in and asked the guy if it was for sale and he says, "Yeah, it would been uh ordered and had a lot of paperwork trouble with it. It had been a so-called repossession. Had no miles on it at all." I was able to get a pretty good deal on it, but on my credit and stuff, I couldn't do it. So, I put a deposit on at the time, came home, told my dad about it, and he said, "Well, God, that's a lot of money for, you know, 20-year-old kid to have a $60,000 truck." Don's an owner operator, an independent businessman who sells his services to customers who have freight to haul. You have to be shrewd to succeed. And when it comes to competing in the marketplace, it can't hurt to have a good-looking machine. But, uh, it was just, I don't know, I seen it that morning and I knew that I was going to have that truck. I something told me I had to have that truck and we just happened to get up enough money for the down payment, put the payments on a long term and went out and start trucking and now uh half a million miles later, I'm still making payments on I'm still trucking. But it's it's the best thing I ever did. I uh I just love my truck. It's a gas. The shiny wheels, the gleaming paint, the name on the door. Those are the things that are easy to see. What you don't see, though, is the hard work that made it all possible. Don Pascuso, Senior, has been on the road for more than 40 years. We have together. We have a partnership. My son is is uh half owner of what business we have and what we've accumulated together. It's 50/50 with him. And he has earned every bit of his 50%. Daddy did not give it to him. He earned what he has today. And I'm proud to say that he stayed right in there and earned what he's got. And it makes me feel good that uh that I've got a son that uh isn't afraid to go out there and and try to do it. And so far, I I feel good about the fact that he has done as well as he has. Some people just don't understand why somebody would spend so much time taking care of a truck. I'm a clean nut. I've always have been. I've always had to have things that anything that's mine's got to be clean. And I don't clean it for everybody else to look at and go, "God, that's neat." But it's it says it's my truck and that's all I have is that truck. I'm impressed with it. If I don't impress myself the hell with what everybody else thinks. I got a big name on there right on the door and I mean it's me and everybody goes by and says, "Well, we know who this truck that belongs to." So it's got to be looking neat, you know, just because it's part of me. 60,000 bucks for a pretty truck? Nope. The money pays for a machine that can be on the road a 100,000 miles a year turning a profit. It's not a show truck. You know, it's might be pretty to a lot of people. I think it is, but it's not a show truck. It's a work truck. [music] The work is hard and truckers take pride in their wheels. And every now and then they find an excuse to kick back and have some fun. That's why 177 trucks showed up at the Orange County Speedway in Irvine, California for a major truck beauty show and championship big rig drag race sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association. Dawn till dusk. It's one of the most [music] colorful, action-packed days to come along in quite a while. The Pascus were there driving their pride and joy. The last beauty show they entered, the truck took second place. Guy needs to really detail his truck. Needs two or three days just of nothing but just cleaning to get in every corner and just really get it looking where you feel, you know, it's the way it's supposed to be for a show. That means a busy morning. The participants begin [music] arriving a little after sunrise, starting right in to shine and spruce up their most treasured possessions. [music] [music] The love you give me keeps me hanging [music and singing] on. Honey, all I ever need [singing] is you. [music] You're my first love, you're my last. You're my future, you're my past. [music] Oh, loving you is all I ask. Honey, all I ever need is you. [music and singing] Well, that's probably one of the reasons why you're an owner operator, so you can drive a neat truck because you can make a hell of a lot more money driving for a company. So, you got to have a neat truck to drive cuz that's all you get out of it. Some of the truckers came here just to show off. And some came to win. We'll see what it takes to win the contest and what it's like for big rigs to race wheelto-wheel along a/4 mile drag strip. Get tough. Protect your car with Magguire's lifetime poly sealant system. Tough protection from polymer technology and 50 years of professional car wax experience. Meguire, a blend of tough polymers, expensive waxes and silicones. Get Magguiire's Deep Shine in one easy step. A shine so tough, we dare to give you a guarantee for the life of your car. Maguiars in liquid or paste. This is the day for the big rigs to race. And the trucks are lining up for the preliminary heats. And on a summer day when the mercury will soar past 100° F, heat is just the word for it. Most of these trucks race without modification, just the way they come off the road. Some of the racers though invest a lot of time and money to be the best. While the drivers are busy making lastminute adjustments, the crowd's got plenty of time to check out the beauty show in the pit area. And here's one of the top contenders. A working truck that spends most of the time carrying diesel fuel on short halls. But if you're looking for a driver with a cowboy hat, boots, and tattoos, you're out of luck. Kelly Dano drives this one. Me and my dad both own the truck as partners, and we haul for for ourselves, and I've been driving for 2 years. I'm 20 years old, so right when I got out of school, I learned how to drive. In the last contest, Kelly's tanker took first place. It takes a lot of time and money to earn the prizes. When we bought the truck last year, it didn't look anything like this. It was painted red and didn't have any of the chrome on it or the lights. And we've done quite a lot to it. We put these these tall stacks on and our chrome bumper. We painted it. The paint job is really unique. Most everyone notices the paint job right off. But we put probably about $75,000 into the tractor as well. It took us about a year. We We've been to three truck shows and we got first place once and we don't know what we got yet today, but we're hoping another first place. Owner operator Stan Adams owns four different tractors, including this collector's item. Yes, sir. It's a 1945 Peterbuilt. It was built uh right at the end of World War II. I purchased the truck in 1973 for a price of just $3,500 and ran it between Santa Maria and Los Angeles. All this time in the fall of 1981, my son Steve started disassembling the cab. We took all the the top out, took all the sheet metal off of the cab, put new sheet metal on the doors around the back of the cab, installed the new top, made new running boards, battery boxes, and prepared it for the paint shop. I don't think there's a price that could be put on it. Uh, we probably have over $20,000 in it. With more than three decades on the highway, this truck has racked up over 2 and 3/4 million miles. That horn belongs to another mighty machine, iron sides. In the cab, you'll find a stereo, color TV, microwave oven, and a refrigerator. Not a bad place to hang out when you're on the road. For special occasions, owner Bob Wilson pulls a show trailer, which seems to attract a lot of people. It comes complete with refreshments and tables for poker and pool. Why does he do it? I do this for pride. Cricket pride. Or maybe it's [music] just a way to have some fun in a business that's pretty demanding most of the time. A lot of the folks [music] here today are used to spending their Saturdays in the truckyard doing all the routine maintenance that it takes to keep a truck rolling. We went along with the Pascuzos to get a feel for it. There's no time for spit and polish here. When your truck's not working, you're out of business. Unless you can get it rolling again, and soon the cost will eat you alive. Tax wise, and that that's just what you have to do with any truck. You know, your road taxes, uh, you're going to have a certain amount of insurance no matter what. where I see the big cost factor on my truck is I've maintained it to a point to where now there's no way of uh going short on anything. If something needs fixing, it's done. You know, uh when I need a couple tires, I buy a few tires. Like today, I bought eight tires. Motor went down. I put a brand new motor. Fuel pump's leaking again. I'll patch something to get me from somewhere to get home. When I get here to fix it, I fix it, right? And I spend a little bit more money than some people do on their trucks. But I've had that feeling of a lot of confidence in my equipment that when I take off from here and I'm going to be gone for four or five days that, you know, all I got to worry about is putting fuel and keeping the oil up on it and just keeping it clean and going trucking. Expenses are high even when the truck's healthy. The cost of fuel alone can run you out of business if you're not careful. These rigs get about four miles to the gallon. At 10,000 m a month, you're looking at an annual fuel bill of over $30,000. And that's just the beginning. Every state has its own rules, fees, and permits. At last count, American truckers paid more than $8 billion a year in state and federal road taxes. For all the pressures of the business though, trucking has its rewards. Like seeing the [music] world from behind the wheel of your own customized big rig. You know, I just get out there and I get out of this town and I just get a big ear to ear grin on my face. You chose to do this. So, you can't go up and down the road fighting with yourself and being depressed, being lonely, cuz you're just going to get down on yourself and it it doesn't do any good. But I'm pretty basically pretty happy [music] person all the time, you know, and uh loneliness doesn't really enter the picture. And every now and then there's a chance to get together with other truckers. And that's what big rig [music] drag racing is really all about. Everywhere I go, people ask me, Arie, is that old tractor you drove in the Pensall still running? Still running? We use it here at LRO every day. And with Penso protecting the engine, there are a lot more miles left in it. You know, this old tractor and I are a lot alike. We're both still using Pens Oil and we're both still running. Gas-saving Penso. Quality in every extra mile. At this NH sanctioned big rig race at California's Orange County Speedway, some of the drivers are looking pretty serious by the time afternoon rolls around. That's because there's several thousand in cash and prizes waiting to be claimed by the winners. Each driver enters in [music] one of eight different classes based on his expected time for the quarter mile run. Based on the time trials earlier in the day, each driver sets his own maximum time. [music] If he underestimates the speed of his truck and goes faster than the maximum time he's chosen, he's out of the race. When the top winners from each of the eight categories go up against each other, there's a handicap system that gives the slower trucks a head start. That way, everybody has a chance at the prizes. It may seem a little strange to see big rigs out there, but when they get going, watch out. A fast truck can top 90 mph and reach the finish line in about 16 seconds. They tell us the secret is in the shifting. Choosing the right combination of gears for a fast start and a quick finish. And that's harder than it sounds. Some of these rigs have as many as 13 forward speeds. The crowd loves a winner. And out here, they love the losers, too. For the families of truckers competing in today's races, it's a rare opportunity to watch dad show off. Or is that mom showing off? With 11 years of trucking behind her, Cindy Schultz decided to give Dragon a try, racing against her husband, Ed. Well, I'm real excited about the race, mainly because I've never had an opportunity or been brave enough to take part in anything like this. I've always set up on the grand stand and watched everybody else. And when I came this morning, I was I figured that there would be a lot of other women entering. And I found out, to my knowledge, I was the only one. And I just about changed my mind because I didn't want everybody to laugh at me. And then she went out and beat everybody. She beat both of us. But I'm having fun. You know, that's what I came for. Back at the beauty contest, the judges are making the rounds. They evaluate the trucks [music] on the basis of paint, polished items, accessories, [music] interior, color scheme. [music] and originality. They award extra points for a combination truck and trailer. As [music] for the 12,000 people who came to watch it all, well, they're looking for a good time. We'll be back with Big Rig Drag Racing and we'll see who is king of the road. Hi. Fill her up and check the oil, please. You bet, Mr. Palmer. Is that Arnold Palmer? Billy, he's going to want pins oil. Can I get it, Dad? Sure. Go on. [laughter] You don't need any oil today, Mr. Palmer. Okay. He doesn't. Here, Billy. Let me have that pens oil. You can keep it till next time. Thanks. Gas-saving pens oil. Quality in every extra mile. Big rig drag racing is like most other sports. The more you watch, the more you find out about the people who do it. One of the crowd's favorite is the driver of the blue ox. Owner operator Tom Dreger has been leading the pack all day long and has earned a place in the King of the Road finals against his buddy Ernie Martinez. Tom and Ernie are pretty serious about this stuff. They spent plenty to soup up their rigs for racing. I race because uh mostly the competition, the the fun, the people, good times. This is this is worth the fun and everything. Have one of the fastest runners. Speaking of fast trucks, take a look at this demon. Or how [music] about this truck? Every now and then this darn thing tries to fly. They're not exactly big rigs, but after all, a truck is a truck. [music] And if that's not enough for this capacity crowd, how about this? A truck rodeo. In this event, dump drivers match their driving and unloading skills against the clock and each other. [music] The King of the Road competition coming up brings together the eight drivers with the day's fastest speeds. They'll race between each other until there's an overall winner. At stake, nearly $2,000 worth of cash and prizes. The crowd is ready and waiting for the race off between Tom Dreger and Ernie Martinez. They've raced against each other all day, and the spectators know it's [music] a close match. Heat. Heat. [music] Tom's 16.49 seconds tops Ernie by just a fraction of a second. As driver of the fastest truck, Tom Dreger and his Blue Ox go home with the title king of the road. And speaking of awards, Kelly looks pretty happy with her best of the show trophy for the truck beauty contest. The Pascus finished second to Kelly Dano. To me, it's a big gas. I mean, it's a living. I'm not getting rich, but I'm making a decent living. I can't knock it. To get really down to the point of it, it's just a lot of [music] work. It's a lot of fun at times, and there's other times that I mean, for give me $10, take my truck. I mean, I don't want it no more. And there's other times when I mean, a guy could walk up with a million dollars and that's a lot of money and just you say, "Hey, me, you know, stay off the truck the rest of my life. You're crazy. Keep your money." It's whatever you want to make of it. It's [music] all part of the trucking industry. It's pride. It's being on your own and the challenge of competition, whether it's on the [music] track or on the open road. Brought to you by gas-saving Penso. Multivis quality in every extra mile. Ask for it. Pens Oil. Search for silver. [music and singing] But I found my treasures in your soul. Oh honey, all I ever need is you. La [music and singing] [music] [singing]