Queen Elizabeth
AKA
"Lizzy"
How she came to be known as "Queen Elizabeth"
I know alot of people look at these Large Cars and wonder if they came that way. I know some think we are crazy to give our trucks a name, but in all reality the truck becomes a constant companion on these long over the road trips. These drivers spend alot of time in these trucks and they often become an extension of the families they leave at home while they are on the road making a living. These drivers spend countless hours away from family and friends and in a way these trucks become their best friend. The truck seems to form its own personality, whether it be by the way they run, or the funny little quirks they have or just in how they pull a hill under a heavy load.....
This is the story of how the "Queen "got her name.....
This is the original "Kate", she was a 1997 Kenworth W900L Studio. She was my introduction into the world of Trucking, John's CB handle is "Doc Holiday" and as we all know Doc Holiday's girlfriend was "Big Nose Kate"...and since it was just John and Kate on the road alone together for so many years it was logical she would become Kate....
In 2004 when I met John she was still blue, we decided to start fixing her up, she had a good base but she needed bling.....so in the shop she went and came out with bright white paint and then the lights came, then came the graphics, she was a pretty girl but Kate was getting tired, she by this time had well over a million miles on her, in the picture to the left she was entered in a truck show, she looked good but we knew it was just a matter of time, so the long hunt was on for a successor to her, she was going to be hard to replace, even with over a million miles on her she never left us stranded she was like a race horse at the end of the race, knowing she could do it if she just put her heart into it...this girl gave her all......It was a very sad day in 2006 when we left her in Missouri and brought the new Kate home.....We loved this truck and put alot of work into her but we still needed more room. So the hunt was on again for another truck...After alot of searching we found her, she had all the room we needed, full kitchen, full bathroom, all the comforts of home but....she did not feel like a Kate.....
She needed something but we were not sure what so the first step was putting the Company Logos and names on her, but she still had no feel for who she was.....it was not until we were coming home from our maiden run east to west, we were coming back east in Ohio, on the turnpike, it was a very dark night, there had been a terrible accident on the turnpike and they had shut it, most of the trucks on the turnpike chose to just shut down and wait but we had to get to New York by the next morning, we did not have time to stop and wait, there were about 15 other trucks who decided to keep going too, so off we all went thru the woods...none if us were real sure about where to go but knew we could figure it out..of we went, I am sure we shocked all the tiny towns we went thru as we drove thru their old narrow streets at 11 PM at night....as usual John took the lead and off we went, we came upon a very steep grade on a narrow 2 lane road, all was fine she was pulling it with no problem in 16th gear, we were loaded heavy to the doors...there was a slow truck in front of us, we all knew if we slowed down we would loose our momentum so around it we went.....the rest of the trucks stayed behind the slow one but she kept pulling how she found the power to do it was amazing...its was like she just dug in and went...she never bogged down....we continued up and over the hill, in the CB background we could hear the conversation going on behind us, they were all saying what a proud looking Queen she was as she topped the hill, she demanded respect....!!! And then someone said "Hail the Queen, she got us back to the turnpike....!!"
There in front of us as we topped the hill was the turnpike, and they were just reopening it....
Now how she became Elizabeth. We lost John's mother in 2006, she had always been John's rock....she always told him if he ever got a truck with a bathroom and shower in it she would ride with him.....well that night I smelled his mothers perfume in the truck...she has never been in that truck but we knew then she was with us....and so from then on we have called her "Queen Elizabeth" nicknamed "Lizzy" and she demands respect just like John's mother....Elizabeth Lamanteer.....always got...
This one is for you Mom...!!!!
So if you see us on the interstate be sure to give us a wave....
The Yorkie Express is on the move being lead by
"Queen Elizabeth"
Kate in 1997
Kate in 2005
Kate II 2006 W900L Studio
New Truck
2008 Kenworth W900L with a 132 ARI Custom Sleeper
She gets her signs, but still has no name
Queen Elizabeth...AKA...Lizzy
This page was last updated: July 30, 2010
