Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/680184
As in the United States, in Japan there's a long history of owner- operators taking pride in their ride, known by the "dekotora" terminol- ogy — essentially, the word means "decoration truck" in the language of the Land of the Rising Sun. A short documentary chronicles the pride and pressure on one such owner-operator, whose rig showcases some of the hallmarks of Japanese owner-op design. It diverges from U.S. styles in many ways, as is obvious from pictures of the straight truck, but the bedrock concerns for projecting dedication and professionalism are well of a piece with those of U.S. custom-rig owner-operators. The documentary, telling the story of Japanese produce hauler Takuya Sosogi largely in his own words, was produced by the Mel Films crew attendant to a feature story about Sosogi for the L.A.-based Mel maga- zine, an online culture mag. Says the documentary's director, David Freid: "My grandfather, a hardworking, old-fashioned Ameri- can trucker, drove for over 50 years 14 www.bigrigowner.com J U N E 2 0 1 6 REBORN RIG Japanese 'Dekotora' tradition in custom rigs By Todd Dills