Truck 1: The End of the Road

A truck means more at Re-Member. They live tough lives. They transport our volunteers and haul work trailers full of lumber. They deliver firewood, outhouses, and beds across the reservation. Sometimes they get stuck. Sometimes they get stuck reeeaaal bad. When they do, we pull them out and get back on the road.

Truck 1 was a good truck. When you find a good truck, you learn to appreciate it. You build a relationship, mile after mile. It’s good to have something you can depend on when the days are long, and the work is hard. Through snow, ice, and mud, over ruts and cattle-guards, down dirt-roads, and two-tracks, T1 got the job done.

“Truck 1” at the Re-Member woodpile. Winter, 2018.

Truck 1 joined the Re-Member fleet in 2015. It quickly became a “daily hauler,” transporting one of our construction trailers, with staff and volunteers to worksites. The growth of our Winter Heating Assistance Program brought year-round work — and many, many more miles — to the fleet. During the 2022-23 winter alone, Truck 1 traveled more than 7,000 miles!

Carefully curated from previously owned dealerships by our volunteer fleet mechanics, our trucks are maintained by that same group during annual visits to our on-site garage. With great care, we can extend their lives, even as the dings and dents inevitably pile up.

Volunteer mechanics Bud and Doug hard at work in the Re-Member garage.

Our staff have become proficient at oil changes, tire rotations, and assessing the cause of those pesky “check engine lights” that seem to illuminate our dashboards more than we would like. When necessary, we travel to Gordon, Nebraska where mechanic Tom Evans always prioritizes getting us back on the road as quickly — and safely — as possible.

Earlier this winter, our trucks tallied more than 1,000,000 collective miles on their odometers. According to the internet, that’s a few trips to the moon, and back, or about 40 trips around the world.

At Re-Member, a truck is not just a truck. They keep us moving forward. They are rolling symbols of our ongoing efforts. They have become part of the ubiquitous identity of Pine Ridge, traveling to all corners of the reservation year-round, in support of our work.

Despite the best efforts of our team, the serviceable life of Truck 1 came to an end on Monday, January 22, 2024 after repeated transmission issues. True to its selfless nature, T1 was an organ donor. It will now be parted out to help two similar trucks (T4 and T5) live longer lives.

We are grateful for Truck 1 and its many years of service to Re-Member, and the Oglala Lakota Nation.