Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/269152
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD W hen 13-year-old Stephen Large talked his uncle into letting him drive a neighbor's 1975 Kenworth W900A into the Canadian night, he had no way of knowing his passion for big rigs would continue throughout his life. In September 1983, he got his CDL and he has been behind the wheel ever since. Large, 48, lives in Czar, Alberta, a tiny village of 167 people, where his wife serves as mayor, agriculture remains the primary industry, and big trucks are a crucial part of everyday life. That's why Large relies on Shell Rotella T Triple Protection motor oil. In the unforgiving climate and rough terrain, it's the only product Large trusts to keep his vehicles on the road. Works hard Large was only 24 when he bought the love of his life — a 1990 Kenworth W900L, painted candy apple red. He spent months thinking about what he wanted to include in the specs. When he was satis ed that every detail was just right, he placed the order. He speaks with pride about his truck where he's spent more than 60,000 hours — and 2.5 million miles — behind the wheel. His hard work was recognized when he entered the Shell Rotella T Million Mile Haul of Fame in Canada in 1997 and again in 2005, and then when he was was inducted into the U.S. Shell Rotella T Million Mile Haul of Fame in 2009.. "The truck is a little faded now, because it's almost 25 years old. But in my opinion, that's as good as trucks ever got," Large says. Large now operates an earth-moving and construction business, Stephen Large Trucking & Contracting LTD. His Kenworth still sees plenty of action hauling farm and construction equipment for customers in the Alberta and Saskatchewan area. He also uses the truck to tow broken-down big rigs that can't handle the Canadian weather. "It makes me giggle a little, because people turn up their noses at this old truck," Large says. "It doesn't even have cup hold- ers — they didn't have that stu back then. But you can step on the throttle, and it will roll you back in your seat." He is such a fan of Shell products that he lled the Kenworth with Shell Rotella T before he even left the dealership. Ap- proximately 220 oil changes later, it's still going strong. "I've never used anything [other than Shell] in that truck or in any other equip- ment I own," he says. Plays hard Large says taking his family on road trips and restoring old trucks are his favorite hobbies. "I've never been shing a day in my life," he says, laughing. "I've never been hunting, don't play golf, played hockey only as a kid. Three times a year, instead of ying to some little island and sitting there, we'll drive to California and go to Disneyland or go to Texas." He has taken his wife, Angela, and their two children, Ryatt, 10, and Tomi Rae, 7, to see Mount Rushmore and Mississippi riverboats. The things he has seen and experienced have had made trucking an ideal career. "I wanted to see lots of the country," Large says. "I wanted to be my own boss. I could never have a scheduled job — it would drive me crazy." STEPHEN LARGE'S 1990 KENWORTH IS STILL RUNNING STRONG Sponsored information by Shell Rotella® Name: Stephen Large Truck: 1990 Kenworth W900L Miles: 2.5 million ShellAdvertorial_OVD0314_PG049.indd 1 2/20/14 9:51 PM