Ladysmith trucking company competes in North America-wide calendar contest
A Ladysmith trucking firm is hoping community spirit and the public's love of big trucks will help them with a mission: to get one of their big rigs a big win in a calendar contest.
Coastal Trucking operates more than 50 Mack trucks in their fleet on Vancouver Island, but one built in 1987 is part of a contest where 12 rigs will be featured in a 2024 calendar distributed to Mack dealerships throughout North America.
"We just want everybody to vote. It's North America-wide and we're really trying to get in the top 12. Currently we're 13th, but we're getting close," says Janine Cornett, the company's office manager.
Cornett says despite having a fleet of more than 50 Mack trucks, owner Jag Basi is particularly fond of the one he purchased and restored for his 50th birthday.
"It is his special truck, he is the only one that drives it, he's the one that polishes it, he's the one that keeps it in pristine condition," she says.
Basi convinced the truck's previous owner, Richard Mayer, to sell it to him even though Mayer himself had plans to restore the rig. Mayer owns Vancouver Island Mack, a big-rig dealer with locations in Ladysmith, Nanaimo and Victoria.
"Jag, one of our long term and largest Mack customers on the island convinced me to sell it to him, and the restoration was his 50th birthday present to himself," Mayer says.
The custom restoration, which also includes a train whistle, took over a thousand hours and according to Mayer, was pricier than the cost of a new rig.
"He was basically no expense spared, I want this as a show truck. He won't even drive it in the rain, but it is a working truck," Mayer says.
The calendar project is being conducted without Basi's knowledge -- he's off on holidays and out of contact, not arriving until shortly before the contest closes. The staff says they're doing the contest as a tribute to Basi and everything he does for the community of Ladysmith, including being a volunteer fire fighter for 30 years.
"He does so much behind the scenes, he donates so much to all the organizations," Cornett says.
If the voting is successful, the truck will be featured in a calendar with wide distribution.
"There's over 1,500 dealers across North America with a countless number of customers. Mack Trucks sells about 300,000 trucks a year and all their dealers get the same calendar," Mayer says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.