FIXTITLE Dan Porter.docx

BEHIND THE SCENES

The Story

Of

Dan Porter

I think Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” As the end result of this comes happiness.

In order to make yourself useful you must allow yourself to be humble and take action. The entire purpose is to give of yourself in a way that shines a light in another direction. If you are only repaid in return by a gracious heart without a trophy or certificate, this is how you know which deeds have the most impact; when your reward has a positive effect.

Dan Porter of Toronto, Canada has been in the trucking industry as a professional truck driver for over 45 years. Throughout his life spent on the road, he has welcomed the many beautiful sights that our country has shown him. During this time, a few gifts of his own have come to surface.

Given the opportunity to see firsthand what others are unable to witness, Dan took up photography with the notion to share his experiences. In doing so, he has captured images that one may miss in the blink of an eye. Soon he realized his talent and began his collection of photo memories. It wasn’t long after that he was acknowledged for his work and pinned an award-winning photographer.

Photography is one of the bonuses that stemmed from his trucking career on the road. At the age of seven is when he was first introduced to his real calling; trucking. His father drove a local truck around the Toronto area and Dan would always try to join him when he could. As a kid growing up in Ontario, when he wasn’t riding shotgun with his dad, he spent the rest of his time playing outside with the kids nearby. “We played baseball or tag. All of the usual stuff kids did,” he says. “Except the cool part was the cars.” Dan goes on to explain that in his apartment building, there were about 30 families in total. In the parking lot everyone would gather together and work on their cars. Learning to pick up on his surroundings at an early age, he became very perceptive. Paying attention to everything. Traveling with his father he knew then that he loved trucks. Plus being in front of cars, seeing how they worked and playing with the different parts helped seal his fate.

By 15, Dan was driving on a regular basis. He laughs as he shares some of his fun times back then. “I’d steal my brother’s 1960 Pontiac while he was in school. I knew exactly what time to have it back and he would never notice! That car was his pride and joy,” he says. Listening to his pranks and the way he and his three brothers joked around, it shows off his entertaining personality. His motto in life is to see the ‘lighter side of life.’ I can definitely see why. It’s a lot more enjoyable from that perspective…. Unless of course your car comes up missing.

He also landed his first job at 15. He went to work for an owner-operator that had 3 trucks and was looking for an extra hand. He helped deliver milk products to various stores and collected empty bottles to carry back to the dairies. After only a few months he went to work full-time. It was through this owner-operator that he was able to gain the experience with a tractor trailer. Every now and then, Dan would drive and even back the tractor trailer to the dock at the end of the day to unload for the next trip out. At 16, he earned his chauffeur’s license. He continued running for his friend, also as a driver trainer until he turned 18.

Dan went to work for a cartage company that delivered safety supplies to factories and miscellaneous materials to schools, both located throughout Ontario. With this operation he became familiar driving vans and straight trucks. Two years later, Dan was up for a change. He decided to switch over to tow trucks. This fit was a bit dimensional, which was right up Dan’s alley. The company had a number of dealer accounts that specialized in high-value and luxury car transportation. Because of his safety skills and direct attention that he put forth towards his driving and responsibility to each load, in some instances, one particular client favored him as their only driver. On other days, for the same company Dan was on standby at an intersection on Highway 401 in Toronto. There the Ontario Provincial Police would need Dan to tow vehicles away due to accidents or for impaired drivers, etc.

A couple of years later, Dan’s plans came to a halt. In an attempt to retrieve a ball thrown on a roof of a building by some kids, Dan decided to jump down from the 3-story building. The heroic gesture went sour when he landed onto the asphalt, breaking both of his feet which left him in a wheel chair. He spent a month in the hospital recovering from surgeries. His left foot they were able to put back together, without any issues. On his right foot the doctors had to basically recreate a new heal and fuse it. With therapy and help from his girlfriend at the time, Dan had to learn how to walk again. Eight months later he was able to take his first steps on his own and began his journey back to normal. But this time around, he describes himself as a different man. He says, “Back then life for me was in the fast lane. I was constantly working and living on four hours of sleep a day. It was like this was an intervention. It slowed me down ….but I needed it. I learned a lot during that time.” After going into depth about his recovery, he explains that he chose to change his priorities in life. He was having to depend on others and humble himself. Getting help from others has a tendency to do that. Especially if you’re the one that is usually on the other end of the stick. It’s unfamiliar territory, but allows you to see things in a different light. “I learned a great deal of patience and understanding. I’m no longer a hot head, like before. I had to overcome it all.” Dan was 22 years old at the time. I’m a firm believer in what happens behind the scenes and how the outcome can shape an individual and truly change their entire life moving forward. From the way they think or make decisions, to the way they treat others and appreciate the small things in life.

When Dan returned to work a year later he went back to the towing business. This time catering in specialized towing and large trucks for expensive cars. He stayed on for a year before joining a driver service agency pulling flat glass. He delivered cases of glass to glass companies in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. A couple of years later he began hauling into the U.S. for their regular customers located in the Eastern seaboard states. He was gone about two days at a time, pulling three loads a week. Dan stayed with this company for 17 years. During that time he received a number of awards for safe driving and also took courses to continue his education in management and accident investigation. His purpose was to better his background for future use and to build himself a rock solid resume.

In 1996, the company he was driving for terminated their contract with his agency due to the recession. Another trucking company with the agency was looking to recruit 24 drivers to run loads from the states to Canada and back. Dan was one of twelve hired on. Six years later the business was bought out and the new company took control in July, 2001. Only seven of the twelve Canadian drivers remained. That following December 31st, all seven left were let go. Dan’s intuition was spot on. When the news came around to him, he wasn’t surprised. He decided to take the next few months off to figure out his next step. At the end of July 2001, he found a trucking company based in Kitchener, Ontario called Celadon Canada. It is the Canadian division of the leading international truckload carrier, Celadon Trucking Services, Inc. headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. 13 years later, Dan is still driving across the border back and forth, hauling freight of all kinds.

Throughout his 45 year career he has accumulated a total of over 3 million miles to date. For Dan, looking back he realizes that he has achieved much more than just running pavement. He rediscovered himself along the way. He managed to turn a hobby, like photography into an art. Dan also tries to give back by participating in the annual Trucker Buddy Bull Riding Rodeo Challenge held at Gilley’s during the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas. He helps by hosting this event, making this year 2015 the 9th show. Proceeds go to Trucker Buddy International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping educate and mentor students, ages ranging between K-8. Trucker Buddy matches children with qualified, professional truck drivers and together they build a relationship through the driver’s news of his or her travel across the country. The kids and drivers exchange letters and photos to stay in touch. This also allows the students to learn more about geography, history and safety awareness. This is one of the main reasons he was sold on joining Celadon. “The way they treat me keeps me there,” he says. “They’re a great company to work for. They support me in my involvement to raise money for the Rodeo Challenge for Trucker Buddy.”

This past year, Dan was nominated and selected as a Road Warrior for the Road Warrior Program that honors professional drivers throughout North America for their outstanding commitment to our nation as a truck driver. He continues to work long weeks, anywhere from three or more at a time. Then home for three days, before leaving out again. You may catch him in his 2013 white International Prostar on one of his trips to or from Canada. On his days off, he tries to catch up on his photography and spend time with his girlfriend that lives in Memphis, Tennessee or ride his 1990 Harley Davidson. He still resides near his home town of Toronto, Canada. He mentioned at the beginning of our interview that his brothers tell him all of the time that he needs to come off of the road. Then he tells me what he repeats to them each time, “They’ll go on about how they miss me and stuff because I’m gone so much, but I’ll say; what I do, I do well.” With that said, I don’t think he’ll be hanging up his keys any time soon.