STUCK IN THE PAST
TRUCK PHOTOGRAHER & AUTHOR STAN HOLTZMAN LOVES LOOKING BACK

This story is not about Stan Holtzman. This story is about what flows through his veins, drips from his brow and breathes life into his lungs. Blood? Sweat? Oxygen? Naw! This story is about trucks, and the many unique and eccentric ways Stan captures them on film for his books.

For over 40 years, Stan has had a passion for big rigs - not driving them, but instead taking pictures of them. His photo gallery dates back to the 1950s when he was a kid growing up in Los Angeles. Having just had his fourth book published entitled "Big Rigs - The Complete History of the American Semi Truck" on the heels of his third book (which just came out earlier this year) entitled "Classic American Semi Trucks," we thought it was a good time to do our own little tribute to Stan’s talent.

This month, on the two pages here, the front cover, the contents page and the centerfold (not to mention his usual monthly feature called What Ever Happened To), you’ll find several excellent examples of Stan’s work. Old trucks are his favorite, but Stan also takes many photos of newer trucks, show trucks, fleet trucks and even brand new trucks for a few different local dealers. Following the format of most of his books, we thought we’d keep the text to a minimum and focus more on the photos. As Stan put it, "My books are written for people who hate to read, but love to look at pictures."

Stan’s latest book is his first hardbound publication. Published by Voyageur Press, it truly is spectacular. Similar in layout and style to his first three books only bigger and better, "Big Rigs - The Complete History of the American Semi Truck" will be available in bookstores, truckstops, and various other locations throughout the country later this month. If you’d like to order this 160-page book (which retails for $29.95) or any of Stan’s previous books, call him at (626) 579-3981. He is also available at that number to schedule professional photo shoots and, from what we’ve heard, he charges far less than he’s worth. Give him a call today and tell him 10-4 sent you.

If you want to know all the nuts-and-bolts about Stan’s life, get your hands on a May 1999 edition of 10-4 (Express) Magazine. All the dirt and details are in that rather interesting story about Stan. With boxes and boxes of still unpublished photographs, we’re pretty sure this won’t be Stan’s last book. And that’s a good thing. One final note, before we get to the pictures and their brief descriptions, if you’d like to see all of these photos in full color (except for ones that were actually shot in black and white), check them out on our website at www.tenfourmagazine.com.

Cover: This month’s cover truck is a classic 1950s LT Mack. Stan found this truck parked in a yard in Gridley, California, in 1980. The truck was unattended so he couldn’t ask any questions, but, judging by its location
and the attached trailers, it most likely hauled some type of bulk agricultural commodities. Considered by many in trucking to be "The Deusenberg of Diesels," the Mack LT is today a much sought-after piece of old iron.

Centerfold: RJ Taylor and his Ol’ Blue® 1951 Kenworth travel the truck show circuit, year after year, promoting highway safety. Between shows, RJ comes home to Van Nuys, California and goes trucking. Stan met RJ some 25 years ago and the two have remained close friends ever since. This is just one of the many photos that Stan has of this truck.

Contents Page: This photo of a 1955-ish REO Gold Comet was taken in 1965 just south of Toledo, Ohio, where Stan was stationed as the Midwest correspondent for a truck magazine. He saw this old rig being pulled over for a roadside inspection so he got out his camera and took the shot. A true photo-journalist never misses a genuine opportunity.

Photo 1: Built between 1950 and 1956, this Kenworth Bullnose truck and trailer (exact year unknown) was owned by John T. Anderson. Seen here loaded with empty pallets, the truck hauled agricultural products in and around California’s Central Valley. This photo was taken in Anderson’s truck yard in Bakersfield, California, back in 1967. By the amount of dead bugs on the front of this rig, you can be sure it was one hard working truck.

Photo 2: After dropping his wife off in Vegas to "play" for a while, Stan headed out to find some trucks. Driving down an old dirt road, he found exactly what he was looking for. Sitting in the weeds was this early 1950s IH "Cherry-Picker" cab-over. At one time, this was a very popular truck. This particular rig had obviously been put out to pasture - forced to die a slow and cancerous death. The photo was taken in 1982 near Tonopah, Nevada.

Photo 3: This 1950 Kenworth high-mount was owned and restored by Jansen Transportation out of La Puente, California. After Jansen went out of business, a man from Texas bought the truck. Years later, Perris Fish of La Cañada bought the truck and returned it to its true home in California. This photo was taken in 1981 in front of a very old warehouse (built in 1890) on the back side of Chinatown in Los Angeles. The warehouse burned down a few years later, giving this photo even more historical value.

Photo 4: Shown here is a 1964 Freightliner cab-over that was owned by Carlos Campas. Carlos hauled race horses for the very successful D. Wayne Lukas in a converted beverage trailer. This photo was taken at the horse racing facility in Santa Anita, California, in 1984. The green and white truck had just gone through a major restore and was fresh from the paint shop.

Photo 5: Stan’s local Mack dealer commissioned him to take some promotional shots of their new trucks back in 1995. Tagging along for the day with a dirt hauler, Stan captured this shot somewhere in Corona, as a long line of new, bright red CH model Mack’s were waiting to be loaded. These photos, which are a good example of Stan’s "commercial" work, were later mounted and hung on the walls of the dealership’s offices.

Photo 6: No collection of vintage photos would be complete without a little rust. Stan found this International "Westcoaster" in Craig Smith’s yard in Campo, California (in the mountains east of San Diego). This truck, circa 1947 (which I found out means "around" or "give-or-take-a-year") was one of the few trucks International built at their facility in Emeryville, California, shortly after World War II. This particular rig is a parts truck for some of Craig’s other projects. Check out the bullet hole in the windshield - I wouldn’t have wanted to be behind the wheel when that slug came through!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-montage of Stan Holtzman’s work. If you liked what you saw (and read) and would like to see more, call him and order his latest book. As with all of his books, we can almost guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. Also, don’t forget to check out his column (What Ever Happened To) every month in 10-4 Magazine. We are proud to have Stan as a member of our staff of contributing writers.