Kent Carson is our November/December 2023 Rig of the Month. His name was sent to me by David at Wowtrucks.com. Kent will be featured in the 2024 Wow Trucks Calendar. This is his story:

I was the firstborn of 3 children to Irvin and Mary-Ann Carson. I was born on March 27, 1974. I have two sisters, Collette Carson and Louise Sroka. We were born and raised on a 3000-acre farm just north of Maidstone, Saskatchewan. We all attended school in Maidstone and considered that our hometown even though we grew up on the farm. My Dad's parents, Earl and Vernie Carson, also lived on the family farm. Grandpa and Granny (we weren't allowed to call her anything but Granny) played a huge role in our growing up.

Most of my childhood saw me heavily involved in 4H, along with my parents and sisters. Collette and I always had an ongoing competition between us. My mother is still very active in 4H to this day. In 1991-1992, I and some other boys my age (17) started a rodeo project in 4H with my Dad as our leader. We tried our hand at team roping, calf roping and steer wrestling. Dad and I also team roped together outside of 4H in the Midwest Assoc for 2-3 years. I rode my Dad's old buckskin, Chance, and won a couple of belt buckles.

Being raised on the farm left us no choice but to be involved in all aspects of farming, including running machinery and trucks. I started operating machinery very young, but my love was for the trucks. When I was nine, I was finally entrusted to drive from field to farm! Until then, it was always riding along with Dad or Grandpa, either in the field or hauling into town for the farm and a few other farmers my grandpa custom hauled for. Everything we owned was "stick shift," so pardon the pun when I say shifting gears was in my blood.

Dad and Grandpa owned two old Ford trucks, a 2-ton from the early 50's and a 3-ton from the early 60's. Often, school was placed second in priority when it came to farming. If I was needed on the farm, that's where I was.

Grandpa custom hauled for some neighbours into the 70’s and always encouraged me to do the same, "get your class 1, and you can do this for a living," he would say. After Grandpa retired from custom hauling, my Dad took over for 2 or 3 years. I'll never forget when I was nine years old and I was given the privilege of driving from field to farm. Grandpa had been teaching me the ropes but forgot to tell me how to shut off the pump for the hoist, and I wrapped the hydraulic lines around the drive shaft. Grandpa was not too popular that day. Downtime for repairs is never high on the "happy list" for farmers at harvest!!

I Took my Class 1 with Air when I was 18, in 1992, and didn't waste any time going to work for our neighbour Dennis Presly, who owned 2D Trucking. I also hauled in the oil patch for five years, driving a company truck.

In the summer of 1997, I got married, and in the fall of that same year, I bought my first Rig!! She was a 1984 Freightliner 400 big cam Conventional with super B flat deck trailers for custom hauling bales. I ran that truck and trailers in central and Northern Saskatchewan and Alberta.

During this time, I had my first close call with a four-wheeler. It happened at an intersection West of Bonnyville. A man pulled out in front of me and slammed on the brakes! I had three choices: swerve around him and drive head-on into an oncoming semi, swerve in the other direction, roll the outfit into the ditch, or apply the brakes and take my chances. After smoking all my tires, I ended up rear-ending him doing about 40 kilometres an hour. It turned out the guy was trying to commit suicide. No one was seriously hurt, and luckily, the DOT was right behind me and witnessed the whole thing. They contacted the man's wife to come and get him, and that's when we found out that was not the first time he had attempted this. This is one of the scariest things for us drivers. Not knowing what other drivers are going through, not knowing their mindset. It makes this a very dangerous job!

In the spring of 1989, I traded in my 1984 Freightliner and purchased a 1989 8900 International Triple 4 Cummins. Shortly after that, I was approached by a custom hauling company out of Wasika, Saskatchewan, owned by Jim Sutherland, asking if I would be interested in pulling bull racks for them & hauling grain when needed. During the first two years I pulled bull backs for Jim, I also continued my business of custom bale hauling. Jim was my first mentor outside of my Dad and Grandpa. He taught me a lot, and during my days of hauling for him, he always said that if I was ever interested in buying his cattle liner, I just had to make him an offer, and they would be mine. Unfortunately, after two years of working with him, in 1999, Jim passed away. I'll never forget how he constantly encouraged me to "be my own boss." When he passed, I bought his cattle liner and added it to my growing company, "Black Diamond Acres," which I started in 1997. I still run under that name as a lease operator.  

I ran bull rack and flat deck Province-wide in Saskatchewan and Alberta and a bit into Manitoba from 1998 to the fall of 2002. This resulted in long days flowing into weeks and months. Things ran smoothly through those years. There were no accidents, close calls or amusing events other than the usual cow stomping I took while pinned behind gates. This resulted in a few cracked ribs, but that comes with the territory when hauling beef.

It was always fun when Grandpa would call me up and demand a "ride along." By this time, he and Granny were living in Lashburn, Saskatchewan. He'd meet me at the local gas station, hop in and off we'd go. I enjoyed those times with him, talking and laughing about anything and everything. I miss him a lot. He passed away in March of 2014.

In the fall of 2002, My wife and I moved off the family farm to Turtleford, where we purchased 8.5 quarters of pasture land and started a cow/calf operation. I built that into a herd of about 230 cow/calf pairs. In 2004, my son was born. I wanted to name him after the nine-time World champion Bull Rider, Ty Murray, but his mother had other plans, so we compromised and named him Tyler. I guess I won that one, as I always call him Ty.

In 2002, I sold the International and purchased my 3rd truck, a 1998 Freightliner Century, N14, five ¼ Select plus, and continued my trucking business and cattle ranching. Although I was born a farm boy, my first love and passion has always been truck driving! As if I didn't have enough on my plate with the truck, cattle liner, and flat deck super B, I signed on with Master feeds, wheeling and dealing, and hauling mineral feed. It was an easy gig to get into as I purchased mineral feed for my cattle and hauled it myself with a van trailer I bought. I was having issues with some of the delivery drivers, so it seemed logical to haul it myself. I mean, why not right?? I had a little extra time to spare. Needless to say, all these long hours that worked into days, weeks, and months wore the marriage thin, as many truckers know.

In the fall of 2017, much to my dislike, we uprooted and moved to Whitecourt, leaving behind the life I loved. We leased out some of the cattle, sold some, and rented the land to other cattle ranchers. It was a huge shift in my life and my little family. That winter of 2017, I took a small hiatus from "life as it were."
In the spring of 2018, I started hauling for Josh Peterson, who owned Reaper Consulting out of Lloydminster. That's when I started pulling Hopper Bottom Super B around Lloyd and into parts of Alberta.

In November of 2018, I found Black Beauty, She's a 2010 388 Peterbilt ISX 5 ¼ Cummins. I had finally bought my dream truck!! My hot little redhead!! A long-nosed Pete would have been much better, but I'm pleased with my girl.
On May 1, 2019, I contacted Gil Desharnais of Triple G Trucking out of Falher, Alberta, about signing on as a lease operator. He hired me at first, driving a company truck, then after 2 1/2 months, he also hired Black Beauty. That's when Black Beauty and I started our journey together. I've been pulling Hopper Bottom for them ever since, but I'm looking forward to hooking up to a Van trailer this winter.

I've been as far east as Winnipeg and West out to Vancouver Island and everywhere in between. During this time, early in my employment, my marriage ended, and I became a full-time trucker, living out of my truck. It's not an uncommon story for many drivers. The love and passion for driving is not easy on any relationship. It takes a special kind of woman to tolerate it.

In time, another driver offered me room and board at his place near Falher. Being on the road as much as I was, you don't need a "home" in the traditional sense of the word, but even when it is your passion, it is nice to step away from the truck now and then.

One of the runs Tripe G has us on is out to Bunge in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. In the winter of 2020, I was dispatched there, and my buddy Curtis Couturier, who also drives for Triple G, was sent on the same run. It turned out a friend of his, Jaymee Olesen, had just moved out to Aylsham, a small town near Nipawin, where she and her mom had opened a nine-room hotel with a small tavern called The Proud Gypsy Bar & Grill. He suggested we load and head out to spend the weekend and check out the new digs. That is how I met Yvonne, Curtis' friend's mom. We had a great weekend and enjoyed great food! Great company and a great atmosphere!
Yvonne and I kept in touch over the next six months and then started dating in June. I wanted to tell you about how I met Yvonne because She has played a big part in my dream of building the truck of my dreams. As I said earlier, it takes a special kind of woman to support a man whose passion is trucks, everything trucks! She loves the truck and the ride-a-longs – at least most of the time.

Once, we were coming back out of Camrose over to Anthony Henday into Edmonton. As we merged onto the highway, I saw flashing signs warning that the right lane was ending for line painting. I pulled over into the left lane, but a gravel hauler continued in the right lane. I could see him, and so could Yvonne. This idiot was speeding up, trying to pass me in the closed right lane. He was fast approaching the paint truck, and I'm doing my best to get out of the way. Yvonne kept saying, "He's not slowing down. He's trying to pass," Finally, she pulls her knees up, puts her hands over her eyes and says, "Holy &^%$! We are going to die!!!" Thank goodness there was an emergency vehicle crossing lane (in the meridian) where I could get over far enough without going into the meridian to let this idiot between us and the paint truck!
Yvonne took pictures of his truck, him, and all the info on his truck. I never could get in touch with the company, but I contacted the painting crew, and the guy on the paint truck just happened to be in his office telling his boss what went down, so I confirmed his report. This is another danger of being a trucker - other truckers who just don't give a damn.

Yvonne's a bit of a gypsy herself and loves time in the truck. In fact, she helped me put this story together on a trip hauling malt barley to a brewery in Victoria. She also nominated me for the Wowtrucks 2023/2024 calendar, which I'm proud to be featured in with Black Beauty. Years ago, I took her to Lesco Distributors to meet the girls there and Tina Clark and she became good friends. I showed Yvonne some of the "shiny" things I wanted to get for Black Beauty, and her excitement was contagious! It was the beginning of building Black Beauty into the truck she is today! Since then, it has been a beautiful life of dreams coming true, fully loving & living my passion for trucks and the industry. We even took part in the freedom convoy in 2021.

We have entered the Lesco Pro Show& Shine for the last three years, and this year, we took 3rd overall in the fleet division. Black Beauty also won best grain hauler at this year's truck show in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, led and organized by Al & Wendy Mitchell, owners of Tapps Bar&Grill.

Last summer, Black Beauty's complete makeover at Hollywood Custom was executed by Reagan Ducherer and his crew. He now owns a shop in Lloydminster, proudly called Show Time Paint. This year, we had the interior done by Dexter Robar, also out of Lloydminster, owner of Under Dog Mechanical. We also had a complete engine overhaul done at my buddy Marty Bedwell's shop, Chrome Diesel, in Lloydminster. Right now, she sports about 200 lights, and she's not finished yet.!

It's been a long haul. A lot of time, energy and money invested. I love it; it's not work for me. My grandfather always said, "If you view it as a job or work, then find something else to do, find something you love," and that's what I've done.
I've been driving a truck legally for 32 years. Add the ten years as a farm kid; that's 42 years, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Yvonne says, when I bleed, tiny little trucks come out.

I tell anyone who asks me about driving that if it is a passion for them and they have always wanted to try, then do it!

I've met a lot of people along the way. Some for just an hour or two and others who are good buddies to this day. I've met people who have shown me who I don't want to be and what I do want to be. Trucking is my life. I love to do it, and I will continue doing it as long as possible.