MAIDSTONE, Ont. — Gary Oskaboose, an owner-operator with MacKinnon Transport out of Guelph, Ont., is the first Canadian to take delivery of a new Volvo VT 880 tractor. He recently took the keys from salesman Steve Tolton at 401 Trucksource in Maidstone, Ont., near Windsor.

Harbouring a fascination for trucks since he was a small boy, Oskaboose launched his trucking career as a company driver at the tender age of
17. He bought his first truck in 1970, a White Road Commander cabover.

Having owned many trucks since then, he decided that with the next one — which will be his last, he says — he would “go all out, and with style.”

Oskaboose says his Viper Red Volvo VT 880 attracts a lot of attention from other drivers on his regular run from central Ontario to Vancouver. He adds that he’s particularly impressed by its ride quality.

Introduced earlier this year, the VT 880 is a premium long-nose conventional available with Volvo’s new D16 engine offering up to 625 hp and 2250 lb ft of torque.