Trucker of all Trades
34 OVERDRIVE JUNE 2009 T rucking came naturally to Randy Munson. At 15, he was already repairing trucks his father hauled milk in from the family's dairy farm. Now, after 29 years, he has a unique perspective of the truck-ing industry, having been, not only a driver, but also a driving instructor, truck fi nancier and salesman, and a used truck re-furbisher with his own shop. All of my experience helped me understand the business standpoint of trucking, and the ideas behind it, says 46-year-old Munson, an owner-operator from La Crescent, Minn. He moved from repairs to driving at 18, when he received a chauffeur's license to haul grain from his family's farm to the Mississippi River. Years later Munson's father expanded the family business to include several trucks, which he leased to other drivers. Munson bought his fi rst truck, a GMC Astro, in 1980, but the truck was leased to another driver. I didn't really become an owner-operator until 1984, when I traded that truck in and started pulling tankers, he says. I had owned, but never operated. After his father died in 1987, Munson left trucking to run the family leasing After nearly 30 years working in various facets of the trucking industry, including many years as an owner-operator, Randy Munson acquired his own authority in 2007. Minnesota owner-operator Randy Munson knows several sides of the industry from years as a driver, dealer, instructor and customizer. BY ASHLEY VICE Er ik Dail y Trucker trivia Sandra Munson, enjoy their houseboat on the Mississippi River, especially on weekends. When the weather gets just a little bit nicer, we'll put it in the water, he says. He and Sandra also joy ride in their 1998 BMW Z3 convertible: We don't always have a destination in mind we just like to drive, he says. kept the teen-age Munson, his father and company busy hauling tankers of milk locally, grain to the Mississippi river, and potatoes out of Northern Minn. Trucker of all trades