Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85423
Harvest of safety Farm equipment hauler with 4 million accident- free miles finds best yield in helping others. BY ELIZABETH MANNING arry McCann, of Altona, Ill., grew up on a farm in Illinois, where he learned how to drive a truck. At 16, he began hauling feed and produce for his dad. Five decades later, he's hauling farm products again. Since he got his start, McCann, L 69, says he's found trucking more rewarding when he's able to help others and willing to endure delays. McCann started hauling reefer freight in 1959, and in 1996, bought his first truck, a 1993 Peterbilt 377B. He's been leased to Tennant Truck Lines for the last five years, and earned a net income of around $30,000 in 2011. McCann hauls John Deere equipment, mostly parts and small tractors, across the country. "It's my favorite haul yet, because I love being around the tractors and the dealers," he says. "Tennant treats you like a family." McCann, in turn, tries to relate to others in the same way. He often stops to help truckers in trouble, friends say. "Treat others how you would want to be treated," he says. "I try to help someone out whenever I can." One night during an ice storm, for example, McCann spotted a vehicle that had left the roadway. He offered the driver blankets and let him sit in his truck until help arrived. "I've changed many a tire for Owner-Operator of the Month Larry McCann hauls John Deere equipment around the country. elderly people and women, and it helps me just as much as it helps them," he says. "By getting them back on the road, I feel a little better, too." Instead of accepting any offered 32 OVERDRIVE MARCH 2012 Nick Adams