06/08/2025
Our May/June Rig of the Month is Ernie Erickson Jr., a well-known and respected driver from an equally well-known and respected Alberta trucking family. You would be hard-pressed to find a tighter bond than this family enjoys. Watch for a story on Ernie Sr. in a future issue.
I was born in January 1981 in Wainwright, Alberta. My trucking family are the ones to blame for me getting the bug for trucking when I was just a kid. My Dad, his brother Jim, my great uncle Robert Shopland and his sons Tim and Rod are all part of the truck industry.
My Dad taught me how to drive, and I couldn't have asked for a better mentor. One day, when I was just 14, he pulled over and stopped outside Hardisty, Alberta. He turned to me and said it's your turn to drive. There I was, proud as could be, sitting behind the wheel of his 1990 Peterbilt 379 triaxle tanker - what a day that was.
In the summer of 1999, when I turned 18, I borrowed my cousin Tim's R model Mack and an old high boy to take my test. I would like to be able to say that I went out there and aced it, but in reality, because of some silly little things that I knew better, it took a couple of times before I finally got my license.
As I said, my Dad is my biggest mentor. He taught me safety, wrenching, and respect for others on the road. We have worked together since 2001.
My first job was running a 5-ton Chevy for my Cousin Tim, hauling freight for a few months for Rosenau Transport. Then, one day, I got a call to help a driver in need who had lost his license due to MS. I ran his mid-90s Volvo hauling grain for a few weeks until, sadly, that ended one night when I smashed up my pickup up hitting a deer.
After that, I took a break from the trucking world and took a 9 to 5 job at home at Napa Auto Parts and Fountain Tire. Then, one day, Dad called and said it was time I stepped back into trucking, so I packed up a duffle bag, headed to Lloydminster and started driving for my cousin Rod Shopland. I ran a beautiful 1997 Western Star ex-show truck with a new-style cab and an old stand-up sleeper. It had a 550 N14 Cummins with an 18-speed, and I ran that truck for a year, hauling house packages for Nelson Homes and other freight. I always dreaded hooking up to the tridem van because it was usually full of drywall. Working with Nelson Homes, you sure got a workout with every load. On one trip for Nelson Holmes, a handful of us headed out to Bella Coola, BC, where we braved the famous Nampo Lake Hill with its 18% grade. When we reached the bottom, we loaded onto a barge and rode for another 12 hours up the beautiful inside passage to Bella Bella.
Just after Christmas in 2001, a few of us went on a big rig move hauling substructure for the massive Akita drilling rig from Edmonton to Inuvik, in the Northwest Territories, for a building they were putting up. I still remember Robin at Northwest Transport Depot in Inuvik saying, "Don't hit the dock too hard 'cause you'll move the damn building" The move started good as, all excited, we loaded in Nisku, Alberta and headed North. It was quite the adventure, and everything went well until a couple of hours south of Inuvik. That's when things went a little sideways. It was the middle of the night when I moved over to meet a pilot car and my top heavy load took over. I got the truck almost to a stop when it tipped over on her side into a snowbank. It didn't cause much damage to the unit other than tremendously hurt pride, but we had to wait a few days for the snowstorm to clear before we could recover it. Then a few good old boys from Mullen transport, with a couple of bed trucks and winch tractor, picked the old western star out of the snowbank and put it back on its feet. We hauled it to town, thawed it out, and then I could drive it back home. Luckily, there was very minimal damage.
The North Country is beautiful, and I feel very lucky to have been able to haul several loads up there. Like the time, I was able to run the McKenzie River Ice Road to a little town called Aklavik in the Northwest Territories, with a lot of pop and chips. I guess everyone needs a snack, right?
And then, in September 2001, I got the call that I was finally old enough to haul crude oil with my Dad for Gibson Energy. Getting to steer Dad's 2000 379 Pete, dubbed "Needle Nose, "was pretty cool and then a couple of months later, my 2002 black 379 long hood showed up fresh off the lot with a new Columbia Tridem tanker. Some people might think I got it because I was the boss's kid, but let me assure you, I had to run my butt off to prove myself.
I met Gloria, the love of my life, in the summer of 2003, and she came with a bonus: a great little 6-year-old boy named Cameron. We got married in Aug 2005; our son, Tavyn, came in Aug of 2009, and our daughter, Taylynne, followed in Feb 2011. Our daughter Aria rounded out the crew in June 2014 and they sure keep us busy.
In the spring of 2006, we had saved up enough money, mainly from Gloria's tip money from working in the bar, to buy our first truck. It was the 2002 Peterbilt that I was already driving. I stayed on hauling crude oil in Alberta for Gibson Energy, and then in January 2013, I must have bumped my head because I sold the Pete and bought my first cab over a 1998 Kenworth K100 E Flat Top. I poured hours of love, sweat and tears into that truck, fixing it, and then in 2015, I sold it to fund a dream. It was a time capsule 2000 Kenworth K100E Aerodyne. Talk about a dream truck. I'm the third owner.
The guy's driver had reached out via Facebook and told me about the truck his boss was going to sell. The problem was he didn't give me a phone number, so I had to scramble to figure out how to reach him. Thankfully, we have Google, and after a little searching, I finally found out that he worked at IPEX Pipe in Langley, BC. When they answered my call, I said, "Hi, I hear you have a truck for sale." They seemed kind of puzzled and told me to hold on a minute, after which they patched me through to Darren Swaan, the owner of the truck, and we managed to work out a deal. A couple of years later, we added a second truck to the fleet, a 1986 Kenworth K100E cab over and it was a fun truck while it lasted.
In the summer of 2023, Dad had an opportunity to jump away from the oil patch and get into the food-grade world. A few months later, I got a call that a guy was retiring, and a spot had opened up at Boychuk Ventures. I jumped at the chance because it meant I didn't have to live in the truck anymore, and I'd get to spend time at home hanging out with my awesome wife Gloria and my kids Cameron, Tavyn, Taylynne, and Aria.
I've been lucky to have hauled a variety of loads and seen some amazing places. I hauled peroxide and acid for Trimac Transport and house packages for Nelson Homes. I've also hauled Crude oil and asphalt all over Western Canada as far North as Whitehorse and Yellowknife and out to Winnipeg and Vancouver. Along the way, I took the time to see the Alexandra Falls in the Northwest Territories, the Liard Hot Springs and the cool water along Mucho Lake.
Like every other driver, not all my trips have had fair weather. One time, I was stranded at Eagle Plains in the Yukon for three days because of a snowstorm. Another time, I slept at the Tombstone Mountain pullout on the Dempster Highway. I woke up the next morning and drove down to Klondike Corner, where I stopped for breakfast. The staff looked at me in shock, asking where I came from. I guess the road had been closed due to a snowstorm behind me, so I was the only one there. The service, which is always good, was even better that morning.
All in all, it has been a great life. I have a great wife and family, and I am very happy my Dad talked me into getting back behind the wheel all those years ago. It's truly been an honour to have worked with him for all these years.
Happy Father's Day everyone.
