10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

THE FUNNY SIDE OF TRUCKING
Vic Vasselin - Full Time Trucker & Part Time Cartoonist

A few months ago, we began featuring a new cartoonist in 10-4 Magazine. “Trucktoon by Vic Vasselin” debuted back in the October 2004 edition and has been running ever since, poking fun and looking at the lighter side of trucks, truckers and trucking in general. As a veteran truck driver himself, Vic Vasselin of Maynard, MA knows the ins and outs of driving truck and, combined with his artistic talents and sense of humor, has a unique opportunity to capture the funny side of the industry and its people. We thought it would be good if you got to know Vic a little better.

As far back as he can remember, Vic has always been interested in trucks, which led him to start dreaming about them and drawing them. Over the years, he continued to refine his craft, drawing on any piece of paper he could find. Vic would often get in trouble at school for drawing in class. We can all probably remember a guy (or girl) like Vic back in school who was always daydreaming and doodling.

In his early teens, Vic had a brother-in-law who drove a gasoline tanker. Vic would ride along with him every chance that he could, always watching, listening and learning. Then, one day his brother-in-law let him drive the truck in a large parking lot - now he was really hooked! When he turned sixteen, Vic got his Class 1 Learner’s Permit, but by that time his brother-in-law had left that job. When the permit expired, it was back to drawing trucks and onto Vocational School, were he studied H.V.A.C. (heating and air conditioning systems). After working in the H.V.A.C. trade for a few years, he realized that he was still “drawn” to the trucking profession. At that point, he decided to change careers and headed off to truck driving school, where he later graduated and received his Class 1 License.

Without any experience, finding his first driving job was not easy. He got a break and started driving for a small company that hauled oil, gas and flatbed, delivering precast concrete slabs. After one week of training, he was on his own. The first morning, while bobtailing to the concrete plant in an old Diamond Reo (the spare truck), it was dark, foggy and wet. As he attempted to exit the roadway, the truck went sideways. He claims that he got his first gray hair and a little on-the-job training that day. For a short period, Vic went on to run an oil tanker rig. Then, at the age of twenty-one, he began delivering gasoline in a brand new Autocar. There was a lot of overtime but little or no benefits at that job, so it quickly became time to move on. From the tanker job he jumped to lowbed, then dump trailers, reefer and then boxes. Today, Vic is back in a tanker, hauling “bio-solids” (wastewater sludge), and has been for the last sixteen years. Yes, it’s a dirty job but, as he puts it, “Someone has to do it. Besides, it’s steady work with great benefits and a pension plan, and the flow never stops.”

Throughout the years, Vic has been drawing cartoons and doodling for fun. At work, the guys ask him to draw cartoons of them. They all get a good laugh, especially the ones of the boss. Only recently has he got serious about his cartooning. He’s not sure why he waited so long and often wonders if he should have gone to art school. Sure, there are a lot of good cartoonists out there, but can they drive a truck?

When he’s not driving or drawing, you will find him working on antique trucks or at a truck show with his wife of fifteen years and their daughter Aleah. Vic has a 1935 Dodge Brother street rod pickup and a 1934 Ford pickup. He also has an extensive toy truck collection featuring items dating from the 1920’s through the 1960’s.

As a professional trucker with more than twenty-three accident free years of driving, Vic still loves being on the road. He is always listening to the C.B. and watching out for new cartoon ideas. With all the bad things happening in the world (whether man-made or by natural disaster), the political correctness, stress and everyday challenges we all face, he thinks that it is important to able to laugh at ourselves. A cartoon would not be funny if it didn’t poke fun at someone or something. Driving is a tough job. Remember that first gray hair? Well, there’s a few more now.

After searching the Internet and looking through trucking publications, Vic noticed that there were not many trucking cartoons, and none drawn by a trucker. He decided to send some samples out, and was pleased when we at 10-4 chose to publish them. We hope everyone enjoys them - that is what makes them fun. Vic is looking forward to drawing more cartoons, and hopes his “trucktoons” make your day a little nicer when you see them.