a little controlled chaos provides
some fun for sandvik trucking

When you own and drive a truck called "Kaotic" most folks probably assume you are a messy, scattered-brained half wit with no common sense, self-control or organizational skills to speak of. Not so in this case. Owners Bill and Marie Sandvik and their driver/mechanic Chuck Prigge are in fact the absolute opposite of that assumption. The people at Sandvik Trucking are level-headed, organized, caring and rock solid professionals who, although they always put business first, know how to have fun.

Bill Sandvik of Escondido, California (known for his signature handlebar moustache) began his truck driving career in 1980. In 1991, the owner of the company Bill was leased to decided to retire. In April of that year, Bill and his wife Marie bought the company, which consisted of one 1979 Freightliner cab-over and one 1981 Kenworth. Since then, the company has always grown consistently. Ten short years later, their fleet consists of seventeen trucks, a bunch of flatbed trailers, three drop-decks and two dry vans. Hauling
exclusively for Arizona Tile, Sandvik trucks pick up ceramic tile, marble and stone from a warehouse in Anaheim and deliver to assorted points in Arizona and Nevada. As the tile company has grown, so has Sandvik Trucking. Being dedicated to this one huge customer has given Sandvik the opportunity to grow and prosper in a controlled, consistent environment.

It wasn’t always easy though. Marie told us that the first five years were a struggle. She remembers the headaches and hassles they went through buying their first truck. It was always Bill’s dream to be an owner-operator and drive a long hood Pete. With this in mind, it makes perfect sense that their nearly entire fleet is late-model long hood Peterbilt trucks. Always buying used equipment to save money, Bill and Marie let the assigned driver of each truck add their own personal touches, in regards to paint and accessories. They tried hiring owner-operators at one time but later decided against it, citing that the loss of control was just too great of a sacrifice. Because of the way Bill and Marie treat their drivers, Sandvik Trucking enjoys an almost zero driver turnover rate - as they put it, nobody ever quits. And if you’ve ever seen their beautiful trucks lined up at one of the many local truck shows around Southern California and beyond, you begin to realize why.

But not all trucks are created equal. Yes, their fleet is very nice, but a few of their trucks stand head and shoulders above the rest - one of them being the incredible "Kaotic" featured on our cover this month. Originally purchased to be Bill’s personal truck (he fills in for drivers on vacation and such), the 1996 Peterbilt 379 adopted the nickname "The Refrigerator" because of its plain-jane, boring white paint. In an effort to spruce up the "fridge" Bill and Chuck Prigge (Sandvik driver/mechanic for five years) began adding pieces of chrome and stainless here and there. Before they knew it, they both got carried away and one thing led to another. Once they realized that they had an awesome show truck in the making, they went all out. After a full year of work on weeknights and weekends, "Kaotic" is basically finished (are trucks ever truly finished?) and hitting the show circuit.

The truck, which has over 535,000 miles on it and still sees a lot of work, is powered by a 3406 Cat engine with 475 horsepower, a 13-speed transmission and 3:55 rears. The engine is painted purple and decked out with tons of chrome. Featuring an exciting paint scheme described by some as ripping and by others as tear-backs, the purple and white rig was painted by Ryan Evans of Kaotic Kustoms in Compton (there’s a hint to how they came up with the truck’s name). Practically all of the truck’s exterior stainless was custom fabricated out of raw stock by Marie’s son Al. The outside of the rig also has painted-to-match full fenders (even the underside is painted), eight inch chrome stacks, all LED or glass lights, Double J blinker bars and light hangers, a totally custom rear light bar made by Valley Chrome and Plating and several other goodies - too numerous to mention. There is also a mural painted on the back of the sleeper. Bill and Marie approved a Joker to be put on the truck and then went home. The next morning, when they got to the yard, they were a bit surprised to see Ryan’s rendition of a Joker - a rather demented-looking Court Jester - but nonetheless they still liked it.

Another cool exterior accessory worth mentioning is "Kaotic’s" wheels. APP forged one-piece wheels are the latest and greatest in custom truck accessories. Forged from a solid round stock of aluminum with intense heat and pressure, these wheels are not only fantastic looking but also strong and functional (look for an upcoming article about APP Forged Wheels and the process it takes to make them in an upcoming edition of 10-4). APP made these wheels with the "Kaotic" truck in mind. Eventually, this style will be made available to the public, but for now Sandvik has the original set.

The inside of the cab and the 63" raised-roof sleeper was completely customized by Chuck. Starting out with a nice but plain American Classic interior, Chuck reupholstered the door panels, seats and headliner. He then headed off to Home Depot to buy raw pieces of oak which he used to fabricate the entire interior of the sleeper. With no more training than a woodshop class in high school, Chuck did an amazing job building the cabinets, drawers and cedar-lined closets. When you sit inside the truck it smells like you are in a cedar chest - it’s really pleasant (unless you don’t like the smell of cedar I suppose). The dash has every gauge and accessory you’d ever want or need, all arranged tastefully and organized. The final touch was to have a custom bedspread made that repeated the truck’s exterior paint scheme inside.

Having just got involved in competing at truck shows two years ago, Sandvik Trucking learned fast what it takes to win - and what it takes to not win. At their first show, they were so excited to have a whole row of trucks, all shined up and looking terrific. When the judges asked them to open the hoods so they could view the engines, Marie said she about had a heart attack. They didn’t know they had to clean the engines too. But they must have looked pretty good, because they still ended up winning Best Fleet at that show. Since then, they’ve been in many local shows (Pomona, Palmdale, Reno and Portland) and done very well. In fact, a second place finish at the show in Portland qualified them to enter the Stars and Stripes competition at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville last March. Unfortunately, engine problems got the truck to the show one day before the judging, which proved to be not enough time to get the truck ready to really be able to compete with the best of the best. But they still did pretty good. One thing the Sandvik drivers (and owners) will never do is sacrifice their personal tastes to win a trophy. They build their trucks the way they want them - and if that brings trophies and awards then so be it - and if it doesn’t, then that is fine too. It’s not about impressing others, it’s about challenging themselves.

When they’re not driving or working on the show trucks, Bill and Marie enjoy spending time at their vacation homes in Havasu, Arizona and Bend, Oregon. Complete with all the toys, the drivers are free to use these homes when they can get away with their families. Sandvik Trucking is an extension of each driver’s family. All of Bill and Marie’s employees are extremely dedicated and their families support them. That is a very integral part of keeping drivers happy. If the wife and kids are sitting at home miserable because daddy is never home, you can bet the driver won’t be a happy (or productive) employee for very long. That is why Chuck became a mechanic for Sandvik. Originally, he was driver, but after getting married and having some children he decided he wanted to be home more. With very little experience as a diesel truck mechanic, Bill and Marie gave him a chance and he ran with it. He now has two assistants to help him maintain the entire fleet and can build a truck from the frame up without any hesitations.

Looking forward to competing in many more truck shows to come, Bill recently bought a 1987 Pete 359 to drive and build as their next show truck. Chuck plans on having a lot of fun attending truck shows and building future trucks for Sandvik. When asked if he’d ever like to own his own truck he said, "Not after what I’ve seen Bill and Marie go through. I have no interest in owning my own truck." As fun as the truck shows are, though, trucking always comes first at Sandvik. As Marie puts it, "Hey, something has to pay
for all that chrome and stainless!"

In today’s tough trucking world, Sandvik is flourishing. With dedicated people, constant work, and a lot of business savvy (Marie’s department), Sandvik is destined to leave their mark in trucking. No chaos here - just a rock solid company and a great looking truck with a clever name.