The new 'old school' by Bobbi McGee

The new ‘old school’ by Bobbi McGee 

– Cottons Livestock Hauling                                                                                            

Nowadays debating seems to dominate social media. It doesn’t take very long to pick up on the issues within the trucking industry. Drivers get fired up over paper log versus ELD, pre-emission versus compliant trucks or plastic trucks instead of heavy or OBS square body trucks over aerodynamic fleet trucks. There are many examples and personal opinions clogging up the internet today, even something like your attire or preferred footwear can spark a debate. What about another perspective, the new ‘old school’ trucker.

Owner Operator George Lansaw of Lancaster, KY started trucking in 1978, but to tell this story we need to go back to when he was five years old, sitting in a lawn chair under a willow tree to escape the Kentucky heat. In the shade of the tree, he sat with his child imagination afire, a pie pan nailed loosely to a 1x1 for his “steering wheel,” another 1x1 standing next to him for his “shifter.” “I covered a lot of ground from that lawn chair,” said George. He grew up with several family members driving trucks and he rode with them from time to time. He cut his teeth in a 1969 International Harvester F-2070 Tandem with a V8 gas motor and a 10-speed transmission hauling excavating equipment.  Growing up in a rural area, there were few options for meaningful employment, so if he had not become a truck driver, he most likely would have ran heavy equipment. Many guys his age took a factory job or became a certified welder to make ends meet.

One job George has always taken seriously is that of a father to his sons, the youngest being “Cotton” Lansaw. As George worked on the road, Cotton spent summers in the passenger seat. He watched his father deftly shifting through the gears of his ten-speed with an acquired smoothness of time and patience. Cotton knew two things at a very young age, he wanted his own semi-truck, and he wanted to be just like his Daddy.

Sitting across from Cotton at the Mid America Trucking Show a few years back, I noticed immediately he was wearing pressed blue jeans, a button-up shirt, well-worn cowboy boots and a hat. You wouldn’t think he was turning twenty-one in a few months. He reminded me of an old soul, his eyes wide as he listened to the older drivers talking about running coast to coast back in the old days, with respectful patience not often found in someone his age. It was obvious to me that he had chosen to set at a table of elder men rather than joining friends his own age and I knew immediately that he could relate to them on some level and was listening to learn. This made me smile because George Lansaw might not have been at MATS that night, but his son was making him proud just the same by reflecting the quality of his ‘old school’ example.

“The first thing I can think back to would be when Dad had his 2006 Peterbilt 379, we were out west somewhere, I was maybe 5 or 6, and the AC went out. I remember it being so hot and miserable but all that really mattered was I was with my dad, and we were trucking,” Cotton said proudly. “You see I grew up watching Dad, riding with him and eventually, around age 13, Dad started letting me drive on straight stretches of the Texas two-lanes.” “I tried to mimic what I saw him do over the years,” Cotton explained. “You see I had to attend a CDL school due to the law change, but it was a good one and wasn’t just focused on pushing drivers into the seat.” “It was a small school and a little like family, the atmosphere was something like you would imagine back in the 80’s.” Cotton went on to explain, “I started driving on my own right out of high school, but I learned on my Dad’s 2004 Kenworth W900L with an 18-speed and a Cat under the hood. Now I pilot my own 1995 International 9370 Eagle with an N14 Cummins with an 18-speed,” he said.

While many truckers run the road today with no form of communication in the event they lose access to a cell phone signal, some still key the mic up on their CB radio. I hear so often from truckers whether they run a dedicated route or cross country that it gets harder every day to speak to the truck right next to you. Many inexperienced drivers rely on GPS and have trouble reading road maps when technology fails. Career drivers complain about the changes in the trucking industry without recognizing they themselves hold keys in re-directing some of those changes. By teaching the next generation from your own life experiences and guiding them along their way, you can make a difference. The average age of the American truck driver is 47 years old according to trucking.org and many of those drivers now have children entering the work force. Those senior drivers without kids or grandkids of their own can step up by mentoring extended family members or younger colleagues they befriend. Sharing your history and valuable experience helps meld the old school with the new, narrowing the gaps. Younger drivers bring a certain knowledge of technology while older drivers can assist with the ins and outs of owner operation and the unspoken code of life on the road.

George Lansaw is making the most out of the past, he has invested in sharing traditions in trucking with Cotton to keep the torch lit so his son can light the way forward to a better future. George said, “Cotton has been in, under, or around a cow truck since he was born. He will be 21 next month and that is all he has on his mind,” I tell him, “Son, it’s a new world, maybe you’ll find a few drivers out there like you, but not very many.” 

Cotton continued, “When my Dad started driving in 1978, everyone was your compadre, it didn’t matter if you were an independent or a company man. Truck drivers helped people in cars too just like they did one another. Now, when you’re in trouble, some people will just drive right on by you, car or truck, and most don’t even bother to move over.” Cotton said, “Back in the day you were cool, not because of what you drove, but because you drove.” Cotton continued, “Way back when, it didn’t matter if you were driving an R model Mack with a 237 Maxidyne or an extended hood 359 Pete with a KTA600 Cummins and a set of sticks, just about everyone would know you and like you. There was comradery amongst truck drivers, and we need to remember that before it is all gone,” said Cotton.

George stated emphatically, “Sad how times change, hearts and attitudes towards other people change,” he shook his head as he continued, “I’m talking about the ones that go to the same places I go, unload at the same places, go to the same washouts and fuel stops, and no one is any better than the other one.”

George has allowed Cotton to try and fail on his own so he may learn from his mistakes while still gently steering him toward a better way. They have developed that mutual trust and respect that comes with hard work and facing adversity. It is obvious to those around them while it may not be perfect, because they can still butt heads, what matters is they have each other’s back when the rubber meets the road. We all need more of that team spirit today. When we talk about glory days with fondness, we should acknowledge how different it is on the road today and ask why? Are we all so different on the inside or is it just the fast-paced life we are living in this high-tech busy world full of “new normals?”  I think George Lansaw sums it up best, “It just don’t matter how much chrome or polished stainless steel you have and that will be proven, because when they put you in the ground, your hole will be the same size as everyone else’s.”

I am thankful for these new ‘old school’ drivers like young Cotton that I have met. They give me hope for the future when I see them hold the door for a mother and her child at the fuel stop or give up their seat at the table for a veteran who is waiting. Bravery can come in many forms, sometimes it comes as a young cow hauler in well-worn boots and a hat.