Determination meets transportation

Keep on truckin’.

When Barry Owens was 12, his father was killed in a tractor-trailer crash while he was along.

At age 22, Owens’s legs were paralyzed in a tractor-trailer crash.

Through it all, Owens, now 49, has kept truckin’.

“It’s all I’ve ever known,” he said.

The Moscow, Tenn., man and his modified truck stopped at Ditzfeld Transfer Thursday to show people his rig and visit his sister, Sheila Bialek, who works there.

The truck called, Determination Transportation, has a larger-than-usual sleeper and a hydraulic lift, like the ones used on school buses. Using the chassis from his ’98 Freightliner with 1.3 million miles on it, Owens hired a small shop to restore the truck and add more functions.
“I had the cab custom built, so it will accommodate my needs,” he said.

The driver’s chair swivels to allow Owens to transfer himself easily from his wheelchair to the seat. A video screen shows the view from four camera angles outside the truck, minimizing blind spots. Another screen features infrared, making it easier for Owens to see cars, people and animals at night.

Owens drives the truck using hand controls for the gas and brakes. He can shift gears at the push of a button.
“I’m just like any other driver,” he said.

Owens showed off the truck’s features to Donnie Ditzfeld Thursday afternoon. Ditzfeld admired the cameras, swivel seat and reverse opening driver’s door.

“Your refusal to give up is more beautiful than the truck,” he told Owens.

After 16 years of driving a tractor trailer paralyzed, Owens would like use the rig solely for demonstrations. He has not been hauling since the rig was finished in November.

“This truck turned out far beyond what I imagined,” he said. “I’d hate to put a truck this nice back to hauling general freight.”

Owens is trying to get sponsorship to take the truck to schools, hospitals and other places. He wants to show people “just because you’re in a wheel chair, your life doesn’t end. ... There’s always something good in everything. I’m hoping to give someone the inspiration they can do more.”

If he’s unable to get a sponsor, he will continue to haul freight, he said.

The sleeper bed can be folded up against the wall, making room for two wheelchairs with seat belts to secure them. That way, Owens can give others in wheelchairs rides in his semi-truck.

Owens said he knows most people think he would have given up trucking, considering his past. He got back into a truck six months after he was released from the hospital. He went pale at first, but overcame any apprehensions five miles down the road, Owens said.

Owens was engaged when he was hurt, and he eventually was married to his wife, Kathy. He said he didn’t want Kathy to regret staying with him.

Bialek, of Sedalia, said she thought Owens was crazy when he decided to return to the road.

“It’s pretty amazing,” she said. “He’s such an inspiration to all of us.”

Owens had had a hard time finding work as a handicapped trucker. He said some people assumed that he would be less productive since he was in a wheelchair.

They were wrong. Owens has logged 2 million miles with five companies since his injury. He has always been in the top 10 percent in miles logged with each company.

“My goal was not to put in 2 million miles. It was just to provide a good life for me and my family,” he said. “I don’t consider myself handicapped. I just consider it an inconvenience I can’t walk.”

Along the way, Owens has met five other paralyzed truckers. All except one have someone on the road with them, he said.
Many people take life for granted, Owens said.

“There’s challenges in life every day,” he said. “You can see the good or you can look for the bad; I choose to see the good.”