Haul, Forrest, Haul: F.M. Waldron Trucking

Article by Darin Burt

Forrest Waldron is among a scarce group of log haulers. At twenty-five going on 26 years old, he’s hardly made much of a tire track alongside many of drivers that he works with; many of who are at least twice his age. Forrest is one of the rookies among an industry of old-timers, but as a fourth-generation log trucker, he’s certainly in familiar territory.

“There are just a small handful of (younger drivers) and most of us who are doing it were raised around it. You don’t see a lot of young guys who just jump into a log truck like you would see back in the 1960’s era when jobs were more plentiful. To get into it now, you almost have to be born into it,” he says.

“I like it because some of the old guys respect us young guys who’ve been brought up around it and they appreciate seeing us on the job.”
Forrest follows the lead of his great grandfather Forest, grandfather “Nubby” and father Matt. His uncle Brett Waldron also operates a fleet of log haulers.

“My dad always had a log truck, and that’s pretty much all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was about four years old and from having ridden around with him during the summertime,” he says. “It’s all I’ve ever been around and all that I know.”

Born in Port Angeles and raised up on the Olympic Peninsula, where many of his relatives are from, Forrest moved with his family to Oregon in 1989. After graduating high school, Forrest talked his way into a job with Cascade Timber Company, in Klamath Falls, working around the shop, greasing trucks, fire watching, and even going on the occasional ride along in the service truck on repair and maintenance calls out in the woods. When he was laid of in November of 2004, Forrest found a new job as a partsman at the local Fleet Pride location.

With some of the money that he’d saved working for Cascade Timber, Forrest bought a used truck that he tinkered with in his spare time, bolting on chrome and making it fancy. It was to be his first log hauler. “I was making it fancy for a kid,” he says, “not realizing at the time that I should have been saving my money.”

The original plan was that Forrest and his dad were going to unofficially be in business together to help him get going with insurance, permits, paperwork and such. The road took an unexpected turn, however, when Matt suffered a fatal accident while working in his truck shop. Being an only child, Forrest inherited Matt’s truck - a 1989 International - and eventually, his job with FV Martin Trucking in nearby White City. When Forrest first hit the road, he took the truck to Port Angeles where he had family and friends who helped him get some hauls and some experience under his belt.

“I’m carrying on with what I’ve always wanted to do and what I think my dad always wanted me to do. He was fine with whatever I would have chosen other than hauling logs, but I think he was happy to have a son who was interested in log hauling,” Forrest says.

Having been raised around the timber industry, Forrest didn’t have much of a learning curve starting out. One thing he understood was the importance of dependable equipment, and among first things that he did was to invest in upgrading the motor in his truck to ward off potential mechanical problems.

“I’m not one of these guys that just jumps in a log truck and sees if he can make it,” he says. “I know enough to keep going. I don’t feel that I’m not going to succeed.”

Another thing Forrest has going in his favor is his conservative nature. Not that he wouldn’t like to add some flash and chrome to his truck, but he also understands the need for necessities like tires and fuel, and for having funds in reserve for emergencies.

“I don’t just get a big check and then go blow it on everything that I want. I like to have a little bit of ‘comfort money’ rather than having to owe a whole lot of people,” he says. “One of the things that I pride myself on is paying my fuel bill first thing when it comes in. I always keep current on my payments.”

Even though Forrest is part of a generation that’s grown up with computers being an everyday part of life, he still does his bookwork the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper. In fact, he doesn’t even have a computer at home.

“I bought a little billing book at Office Depot and that’s what I’ve used mostly. I keep a ledger for expenses,” he says. “When I’m working with FV Martin, it’s nice because I just turn in my paperwork and they send me a check every two weeks.”

Whatever repair and maintenance Forrest can handle on his truck, like brakes, wheel seals, lights and welding, he takes care of at home. When it comes to major engine and gear work, he calls on the help of John Larson, owner of JB’s Truck Repair in K-Falls.

As for the ‘89 International, it’s got over a million clicks on the odometer, and Forrest says the “cornbinder” is still holding up well. It’s equipped with a Cummins N14 Select motor, 18-speed transmission, 358 ratio Rockwell rear ends, International air-ride suspension and a older Peerless log trailer. With tire chains on, the lightweight is 25,000 pounds; in the summertime without chains, weight can be trimmed to around 24,300 lbs. “It’s an International, so they’re built fairly light to begin with,” Forrest points out.

Five or so years down the road, there might be a new rig in his future. “But for now,” he says, “I’ve got all the specs that I would want in a brand new truck.”

And likely, one truck will be enough. “I don’t really want anymore than one,” Forrest says. “I was a flatbed driver for a local company for a while and I saw all the issues that they had with finding and keeping drivers. It’s just another headache and issue that you have to deal with.”

With ambition, smarts, and the encouragement of family and friends, Forrest plans to be hauling logs for miles and miles to come.

“I know there are some older guys out there who will tell you that you don’t want to get into this business because it’s going away, but I never really listened to that,” he says. “My dad was always told when he was young that there wouldn’t be much for him to do, and he hauled logs for thirty years. The way I look at it is that there’s always going to be logs to haul . . .hopefully, I’ll always be around to haul them.”