Local Semi Truck Driver Featured In National Calendar
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Teel, 50, Warsaw, is pictured with his 1977 International Transtar 4300 red semi truck in the April section of Navistar International Corp.'s 2009 calendar. The calendar features premium truck models.
Navistar produces International brand commercial trucks, mid-range diesel engines, school buses and Workhorse brand chassis for motor homes and step vans. It also is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. The company also provides truck and diesel engine parts and services.
The magazine for the past five years has published a calendar on International vehicles across the United States.
The calendar shows Teel in front of his semi with a quote that says, "I've driven this truck since 1980. I know every corner and square inch and every nut and bolt. I can tell by a sound what I need to work on without even looking at it. It's a part of me."
Paul Hartley, freelance photographer for AddMedia, Northfield, Minn., shot Teel's photo.
Hartley said he was on U.S. 30 in Warsaw last fall during harvest season, driving home from shooting photos for the calendar in Ohio. He saw Teel's truck and received approval to photograph Teel and his truck for the Navistar International Corp. calendar.
"I noticed the truck was an older model in extremely good condition so I did a Web search for Teel Trucking and called him," Hartley said.
Teel said when he came home that evening there was a phone message from Hartley requesting Teel be in the calendar with his semi.
Teel said he was honored to be in the calendar because it was a chance of a lifetime.
"I was happy to be in the calendar because I have put so much time, blood, sweat and tears into that truck because there are not that many Internationals on the road," Teel said.
He said he receives a lot of compliments on his truck on his CB radio.
"Usually, it's older drivers and they say they used to drive an International truck 20 years ago, and they say they wish they still had their truck," Teel said.
The picture featured in the calendar was taken at the Chinworth Bridge Trail in Warsaw along Old 30. The location of the trailhead once served as a rest park where truckers would stop and is a mile from Teel's home.
The calendar also shows Ind. 15 and Old 30. Old 30 is part of Lincoln Highway, and Teel said he suggested the photo be taken at the trailhead because it fit in with the theme of the calendar, old highways in the United States.
Teel said he purchased his semi truck in November 1991 from G & G Hauling & Excavating, Warsaw, where he drove it for the company for almost 12 years.
He has driven the truck since 1991 for his business, Teel Trucking, where he is owner and hauls farm products such as fertilizer and grain.
He makes runs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. He said he enjoys being able to make local runs so he can be home for his children's sporting events. He said his children ride with him to Illinois in the truck during seed corn harvest season. He said 95 percent of his freight is within 150 miles of his home.
Teel said he was raised on a farm, but wasn't around trucks growing up until he was a teenager. He said his love for trucks began when he was 17 when he started working part time for his uncle, Tom Groninger, at G&G Hauling & Excavating.
"I started learning about trucks by either washing them or doing grating jobs, and pretty soon I was put on a small truck and it snowballed from there," Teel said.
The first truck he drove was a Chevy dump truck, and then he drove a Tandem Mack semi truck.
He said he has restored his 1977 International semi truck over the years. He estimates he has just under 2 million miles on the truck.
He said the truck is a lot different now than from what it once started out as.
The truck had an original white paint scheme from International, and he put a small sleeper on it after he purchased the truck in 1991. In 1993, he put a reconditioned motor in it built to new specifications.
He also added a bigger sleeper on the truck. The original sleeper was 34 inches, and he now has a 64-inch stand-up sleeper. He said the main reason he keeps the sleeper on now is that he hauls a lot of local items, and his children ride with him and use the sleeper as a playhouse.
"Once you start driving trucks it gets in your blood. It's like farming once you get started. It is hard to stop because it is something you love to do," Teel said.
The International originally had a day cab without a sleeper and had a white paint scheme. A body shop in Pierceton painted the truck with a red paint scheme, and when Teel purchased the truck he put a sleeper back on it. The sleeper is off a 1984 truck. The last time the semi was painted red was in 1996. He's also added bumper lights to the truck.
He said one thing he is proud of in all of the years he has driven the truck is that he only has received two tickets.
Teel said he has entered his truck into competitions at the Kosciusko Community Fairgrounds and won several trophies.
When asked what he enjoys most about driving his truck, he says he enjoys the independence.
"I like being out on my own, not having someone looking over my shoulder," Teel said.[[In-content Ad]]
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Teel, 50, Warsaw, is pictured with his 1977 International Transtar 4300 red semi truck in the April section of Navistar International Corp.'s 2009 calendar. The calendar features premium truck models.
Navistar produces International brand commercial trucks, mid-range diesel engines, school buses and Workhorse brand chassis for motor homes and step vans. It also is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. The company also provides truck and diesel engine parts and services.
The magazine for the past five years has published a calendar on International vehicles across the United States.
The calendar shows Teel in front of his semi with a quote that says, "I've driven this truck since 1980. I know every corner and square inch and every nut and bolt. I can tell by a sound what I need to work on without even looking at it. It's a part of me."
Paul Hartley, freelance photographer for AddMedia, Northfield, Minn., shot Teel's photo.
Hartley said he was on U.S. 30 in Warsaw last fall during harvest season, driving home from shooting photos for the calendar in Ohio. He saw Teel's truck and received approval to photograph Teel and his truck for the Navistar International Corp. calendar.
"I noticed the truck was an older model in extremely good condition so I did a Web search for Teel Trucking and called him," Hartley said.
Teel said when he came home that evening there was a phone message from Hartley requesting Teel be in the calendar with his semi.
Teel said he was honored to be in the calendar because it was a chance of a lifetime.
"I was happy to be in the calendar because I have put so much time, blood, sweat and tears into that truck because there are not that many Internationals on the road," Teel said.
He said he receives a lot of compliments on his truck on his CB radio.
"Usually, it's older drivers and they say they used to drive an International truck 20 years ago, and they say they wish they still had their truck," Teel said.
The picture featured in the calendar was taken at the Chinworth Bridge Trail in Warsaw along Old 30. The location of the trailhead once served as a rest park where truckers would stop and is a mile from Teel's home.
The calendar also shows Ind. 15 and Old 30. Old 30 is part of Lincoln Highway, and Teel said he suggested the photo be taken at the trailhead because it fit in with the theme of the calendar, old highways in the United States.
Teel said he purchased his semi truck in November 1991 from G & G Hauling & Excavating, Warsaw, where he drove it for the company for almost 12 years.
He has driven the truck since 1991 for his business, Teel Trucking, where he is owner and hauls farm products such as fertilizer and grain.
He makes runs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. He said he enjoys being able to make local runs so he can be home for his children's sporting events. He said his children ride with him to Illinois in the truck during seed corn harvest season. He said 95 percent of his freight is within 150 miles of his home.
Teel said he was raised on a farm, but wasn't around trucks growing up until he was a teenager. He said his love for trucks began when he was 17 when he started working part time for his uncle, Tom Groninger, at G&G Hauling & Excavating.
"I started learning about trucks by either washing them or doing grating jobs, and pretty soon I was put on a small truck and it snowballed from there," Teel said.
The first truck he drove was a Chevy dump truck, and then he drove a Tandem Mack semi truck.
He said he has restored his 1977 International semi truck over the years. He estimates he has just under 2 million miles on the truck.
He said the truck is a lot different now than from what it once started out as.
The truck had an original white paint scheme from International, and he put a small sleeper on it after he purchased the truck in 1991. In 1993, he put a reconditioned motor in it built to new specifications.
He also added a bigger sleeper on the truck. The original sleeper was 34 inches, and he now has a 64-inch stand-up sleeper. He said the main reason he keeps the sleeper on now is that he hauls a lot of local items, and his children ride with him and use the sleeper as a playhouse.
"Once you start driving trucks it gets in your blood. It's like farming once you get started. It is hard to stop because it is something you love to do," Teel said.
The International originally had a day cab without a sleeper and had a white paint scheme. A body shop in Pierceton painted the truck with a red paint scheme, and when Teel purchased the truck he put a sleeper back on it. The sleeper is off a 1984 truck. The last time the semi was painted red was in 1996. He's also added bumper lights to the truck.
He said one thing he is proud of in all of the years he has driven the truck is that he only has received two tickets.
Teel said he has entered his truck into competitions at the Kosciusko Community Fairgrounds and won several trophies.
When asked what he enjoys most about driving his truck, he says he enjoys the independence.
"I like being out on my own, not having someone looking over my shoulder," Teel said.[[In-content Ad]]
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