Character Counts

I’m sure we can all agree that our trucks have a certain look about them that gives them character. Some look sad, some look angry, and some look downright menacing. They all have their own demeanor in appearance. The trucks I grew up around had very pronounced and easily-identifiable features, especially in regards to their grill. Remember the big wide grin of a Ford CL9000 cabover or their conventional sibling, the LTL9000 – they were massive grills and they commanded attention (as was the case with the old Mack Cruiseliners and Superliners, too). Meanwhile, the elegant contours of a Pete 359 or a Kenworth A-model were surely on the list of everyone’s favorites. A blocky and bold grill on a Marmon or a tiny grill on a Chevy Astro might be less familiar to some, but I really miss the distinct and artistic design that made some of my favorite trucks so recognizable in my youth. Today’s rigs severely lack the creative beauty and character that is found in the older trucks, but at least International took a leap of faith and designed the wildly-bold grill we see on the LoneStar model. Love it or hate it, it’s definitely not cookie-cutter or a trend follower. I, personally, love the way they look! In a sea of euro-styled, aerodynamic, plain-Jane fleet trucks, it’s nice to see some character put back into the design of an American Class 8 semi. After all, the junkyards are littered with the sad but beautiful faces of the rigs we fell in love with back in the day – and that is a shame. This poem/parody is written in honor of all the grills I’ve loved before.

TO ALL THE GRILLS I’VE LOVED BEFORE
By Trevor Hardwick

To all the grills I’ve loved, before…
Who’ve taken wind from shore, to shore.
The fat, the short, the long,
I dedicate this song…
To all the grills I’ve loved, before.

To all the grills I’ve loved, the best…
And, may I say, forget the rest.
For pushing through the snow,
I owe a lot, I know…
To all the grills I’ve loved, before.

The engine fans are always blowing,
And in my mind, I hear them say.
As eighteen wheels continue rolling,
It’s the grill that leads the way.

To all the grills displayed, with pride…
Where bugs, and birds, and deer have died.
Wherever they may roam,
I dedicate this poem…
To all the grills I’ve loved, before.

To all the grills who’ve scared, the meek…
From Emeryvilles, to GMCs.
From Whites, to Western Stars,
And Macks, to Autocars…
They’re all the grills I’ve loved, before.

The grills of rigs are always changing,
And nothing ever stays the same.
The grills of old rigs are amazing,
Where they proudly wore their name.

To all the grills I’ve loved, before…
They just don’t make them, anymore.
A LoneStar can’t go wrong,
Up front, where they belong…
Are all the grills I’ve loved, before.

To all the grills from Pete, to Ford…
And Kenworth grills, I have adored.
They’re leading someone home,
In polish, paint or chrome…
They’re all the grills I’ve loved… before.