Norman — David Cambell logs thousands of miles a month hauling specialized freight in his Volvo tractor trailer rig. He drives through all of the lower 48 and into Canada, 300 to 330 days a year, through all kinds of weather. So a round-trip ticket to relatively warmer weather in Phoenix on board an airliner was a treat of sorts. Getting a national award from his peers in the moving industry wasn’t bad either.
The 58-year-old Norman trucker received the 2009 Super Van Operator award from the American Moving & Storage Association, an industry trade group. Cambell won a similar honor from his employer in 2007.
“It’s nice to be recognized,” says Cambell, who came to the United States from New Zealand more than 30 years ago. He was here to visit a sister but decided to stick around a while.
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He worked in the construction business for a few years. He had driven a truck in New Zealand and his native Australia. When the economy bottomed out, he took up trucking again.
“I got back into trucking as a stopgap measure thinking I’d get out some day, but it’s been good,” Cambell said.
He moves specialized freight such as electronic equipment, office equipment, even the Apollo spacecraft to NASA’s Space Center for display. “Anything but the residential stuff,” Cambell says.
The industry has changed considerably in his career. He has driven more than 2 million miles with no accidents or traffic citations. Cambell was a finalist for the award in 2003.
He received a leather jacket, new GPS system and a gold ring. “AMSA congratulates David Cambell,” said President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr. “He has demonstrated the highest level of dedication to safety and service during 2009.”
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The industry is a bit different now than when he first started. Trucks are larger and more user-friendly, with air shocks, better creature comforts, high-tech electronics and safety equipment.
But the kinship shared with other over-the-road truckers is waning.
“There’s not the camaraderie there used to be. There are more demands from the industry. Everybody’s in such a rush these days,” Cambell said.
Modern trucks have televisions, satellite radios, refrigerators, laptop computers, GPS navigation systems. Most still have CB radios but their use has dropped significantly with cell phones and pagers.
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“The trucking industry is a lot more complex than the general public sees. They just see big trucks getting in their way. There is so much behind-the-scenes stuff that nobody sees.”
Regulatory changes find their way into drivers’ pockets. “Whatever happens, it invariably affects your income,” he said.
Still, the call of the open road remains strong. His wife, Le, and their children, Kristen, Stephanie and Tyler, have accompanied him on special trips, but most days he drives alone.
“I consider myself to be a people person but I don’t mind being on my own. You have to not be afraid of being alone and you have to be able to deal with different situations,” he said.
“I like to travel all around and meet different people. See different cultures and food,” he said. “You have the ability to see and go to different places every day. You go from mountains to plains to oceans within a short amount of time.”
Andy Rieger 366-3543 editor@normantranscript.com
