Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/269152
Voices 8 | Overdrive | March 2014 Sometimes you gotta lose to win Art Huntley is a loser, and he's proud of it. Having grown up in what he calls the "hood," Art is no stranger to adversity. Homeless at the age of 19, his story is a journey of commitment and courage. With the help of a few key people, he's on his way to becom- ing a bodybuilder. Art was athletic in school, where he had no problem catching the eye of the ladies. Time passed and he began trucking. By 28, he was at 300 pounds, plagued with headaches induced by high blood pressure and suffering pain in his legs from poor circulation. He was lonely and depressed. His surrogate Mom, Teresa Ogle, gave him a red T-shirt smaller than his size and said she wanted to see him fit into it. Art accepted the challenge. He enlisted Marco, a personal trainer, and got on a regimen of a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet and daily exercise. He started taking all-natural supplements. Everyone out here knows it's diffi- cult to eat well unless you're able to cook in the truck, and no one feels like exercising after fighting 80,000 pounds all day. But the common thread in Art's message is "no excuses." He presents himself on his website, TheRealALove.com, as an inspiration to those fighting the same battle. His workout videos aren't done profes- sionally – he falls down and screws up on-camera – but he wants people to know he's not making any excuses. His most important message is "You can, I can, we can." Art's now 40 pounds lighter and well on his way to becoming a body- builder. He completed his first mile- stone by fitting into the red T-shirt. He's not nearly as lonely as he used to be. He no longer requires blood pres- sure medication and doesn't suffer from circulation-induced pain. I have no doubt we'll see Art on the bodybuilding circuit one day because he believes in himself. That's the most important element to any kind of success. Wendy Parker chronicles her journey on the road with her owner-operator husband, George, in the George and Wendy Show blog on OverdriveOnline.com. Scan the QR to read more from her on your phone or tablet. Art Huntley has developed a workout routine he can do on the road using everyday things found at truck stops as well as his set of "big boy" weights in his sleeper. Search his name on OverdriveOnline. com for one of the workout videos he posts to his website, TheRealALove.com. "I'm feelin' it! No excuses!" – "Getsome Towing," via Facebook "Great inspirational story from behind the wheel! Motivating and encouraging!" – "Joe Tex," via OverdriveOnline.com Courtesy of Don Christner A tire blew out late at night in a very lonely place in Wyoming. You're talking a long time for help to come. So I pried what was left of the tire off the rim and drove on. The inside dual was just fine, and I only had half a load. It looks funny but goes down the road just fine. So I stop, and this guy comes over and says, "Driver, you've lost a tire!" "No," I told him, "it blew out last night, and I pried it off." He says, "Well, you can't go down the road like that!" I sure wish somebody would have told me that 200 miles ago! Four hours later, the remaining single rolled into my home terminal in Cheyenne. — Don Christner, Cheyenne, Wyo. 'Driver, you've lost a tire!' The practice of "single-ing out" after a blowout – removing the damaged tire on a dual pair – is advisable only to get to the next service location if your weight is such that you don't exceed the weight limit of the axle and the max load of the tire. Joe Ammons, commenting on OverdriveOnline.com, says this is safest when the remaining tire is the inner of the dual pair. Voices_0314.indd 8 2/26/14 9:42 AM