The trucking world lost yet another icon when Harm Speerstra passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 86. Harm was involved in many aspects of trucking over his lifetime including hauling hay and automobiles, magazine publishing, the formation of charity truck shows, writing articles and managing Facebook groups, and restoring and showing old trucks – which were mostly Peterbilt cabovers. A truck fanatic through and through, this man lived a full life, with much of it shared side-by-side with his wife, the lovely Miss Thelma.
Born in 1939 in Holland, Harm later joined the Royal Netherlands Air Force, where he ended up on an air base with Americans. For two years, he spent almost every day with these Americans, and these friendships and stories made such an impression on Harm that he decided to move to the United States and build a new life there. Landing in Los Angeles, CA on a Friday in 1962, just three days later, on Monday, he was working at a dairy in Artesia, CA.
Working at the dairy led Harm to become a hay hauler. Hauling hay was great in the summer, but slow in the winter, so Harm began hauling cars to fill in the gaps. Eventually, he switched to just car hauling and ended up doing that until he retired in 2003. Peterbilt cabovers were his truck of choice, and throughout his 40+ years of trucking and beyond, he owned many of them. In June 2013, his beautiful white 1979 Peterbilt 352-H, adorned with blue and gold stripes, was proudly featured on our cover.
In addition to his stellar trucking career, Harm influenced and improved other parts of the trucking industry. At one point, Harm was 50% owner of American Trucker magazine, which was a popular publication that preceded ours in the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1981, Harm and a group of trucking friends decided to put on a charity truck show in Pomona, CA, and the first “World’s Greatest Working Truck Show” was a huge success. Later that year, they hosted a show that included big rig drag racing, which was also a big hit. Over the years, this show grew and changed, but it eventually became “Truckin’ For Kids” – an event we at 10-4 Magazine have owned and produced since 2022.
Getting married to Thelma in 1991, they both had been previously married, and both had children. Harm has a daughter named Tiffany (61) that lives in Idaho and a son named Derek (57) who is in Riverside, CA. Thelma, who will turn 80 in February, has a son named Stephen (59) who lives in Artesia, CA and a daughter named Sandra (55) who lives in Corona, CA. The couple was also blessed with seven grandkids and seven great-grandchildren.
After Harm retired, he and Thelma traveled the country in an RV going to truck shows and visiting friends. Eventually, they settled down at a dairy owned by a friend in Grandview, WA where they helped run the scale. In 2011, Harm was diagnosed with Waldenstrom lymphoma, a cancer
that affected the white blood cells in his bone marrow. At the time, he was given five years to live. Throughout his treatments, Harm kept busy restoring trucks, going to shows when he could, and moderating 20 different Facebook groups. Being a fighter, with a strong will to live, Harm lasted 14 years after his diagnosis but passed away on October 22, 2025.
On Saturday, November 8, 2025, a memorial celebration and convoy was held in his honor in Grandview, WA. With his family in attendance, along with lots of drivers and friends, 26 trucks participated in the convoy. We were sad not to be able to attend, but we were hosting our own show in Bakersfield, CA that day. However, we did pass out hundreds of stickers in his honor and also dedicated our light show to him (Lights on For Harm). It was a spectacular light display that Harm would have loved.
We at 10-4 Magazine are proud to have called Harm a friend, but he was connected to us in so many ways he was more like family. He was a trucking icon that was kind, passionate, and dedicated. He made the trucking industry a better place and inspired many to respect what they do and take pride in how they do it. Our condolences go out to Thelma, his children, and all his family and friends. Harm Speerstra will be missed, but he won’t be forgotten!