Tiffany and Jed met in 1996 and Jed bought his first truck in 1998 then his second truck in 1999 but he was a loader man, so he put drivers on them and never drove them himself. In January 2001 the local Pope and Talbot Mill shut down early in January and Jed went to Prince George to work for Jim Vaughn of JV Logging.
When spring break-up came that year Jed was asked if he would come back and load logs for them in the summer. Tiffany got tired of Jed working away form home all the time, so she went and got her Class 1 license in the spring of 2001.
The first truck she drove after she got her license was a 1996 Western Star that had a 500 Cat with a jake and a retarder. The truck originally had been pulling a jeep and pole trailer but before Tiffany hauled her first load Jed told her if she was going to haul logs she might as well haul as much wood as she could, so she traded the pole trailer for a triaxle. It wasn’t very reassuring when Jed said, “Don’t worry, at least nobody will ask you to back up because nobody can back those things up more than a truck length or two.”
There Tiffany was, just 19 years old, heading to Prince George with a jeep and triaxle to haul logs. It would be a huge understatement to say that she was a little nervous but at the same time very excited too!
Jed loaded Tiffany’s first load 130 km north of Ft. St. James and she headed for Prince George. With the new trailer they couldn’t calibrate scales until after the first load, so they just loaded it up until it looked like they had a legal looking load. Well the wood was heavier than Jed thought, and Tiffany headed to Prince George, across 2 sets of government scales, with 69,000 kgs. 59,800 was the legal limit. Oops! She still doesn’t know how she got away with that. After that Tiffany calibrated the scales and decided it would be a good idea to haul a few legal ones. I always give the guys at the scales a big smile and a wave now. Tiffany hauled all summer from north of Ft. St. James to Prince George and never missed a load.
Everything went well that first summer, but Jed and Tiffany only got to see each other for a few minutes each day when he was loading her truck. They were both working 15-hour days and between work and sleep there wasn’t much time left over. That’s when Jed decided it would be better to quit loading and start driving. The only problem was he only had his learner’s license so for the first winter they drove together. They made a good team, he had the guts to go anywhere no matter how slippery, and Tiffany had a license.
One memorable moment for Tiffany was the day she stayed home, and Jed went to work with his learner’s license. He got stopped at the scales in Vanderhoof and they made him park the truck and phone Tiffany in Prince George. She had to drive the pick-up to Vanderhoof to rescue Jed and haul his load the rest of the way to the mill.
Another funny moment was the day Jed decided he was going to take his road test. He drove the loaded logging truck down to the ICBC office in Prince George but when he went inside to see if he could take his test, they told him they were booked up for the rest of the day. He made an appointment for the next day and got back in the truck and headed towards the mill. Somebody in the office figured Jed was driving without a license because the 19-year-old girl in the passenger seat couldn’t possibly have her class 1.
They didn’t get two blocks before the DOT pulled them over. The DOT officer asked for Jed’s license. Jed pulled out his yellow piece of paper that said learner’s license and handed it to him. The officer started his spiel about how much trouble Jed was in and how he needed someone with a valid class 1 to drive with him. When he was done with the lecture Tiffany leaned over and handed the officer her license and he just about fell over. He was pretty embarrassed as he apologized and told them to go on their way.
It was a good winter as Jed and Tiffany shared the driving and learned how to haul logs on the snow and ice. With a bit of money in the bank and their Western Star getting a little old they decided to order a brand-new tri-drive Western Star. They double shifted the new truck for most of that summer and by September they had decided to buy a second truck. To keep the payments low, they bought a used 1999 Western Star tri-drive that Jed had found. This was the beginning of what is now a successful husband and wife log hauling team better known on the road as, “the two black Western Stars.”
That winter they hauled off-highway in Vanderhoof for Clusko Logging. This was the first winter that Jed & Tiffany each had their own truck and the haul that they were on worked well because they were able to travel together. The haul was seven to eight hours round trip and they did two loads a day. It was a very busy winter between hauling logs and planning their wedding which took place in Maui on May 7, 2003.
Following their wedding they went back to work in Prince George. It was a busy summer even with the warm, dry weather and all the fire season shutdowns in the south. They managed to work right through the fire season although most of the summer they were on nightshift.
With everything going well, some money in the bank, and the Canadian dollar at a record high, Jed & Tiffany decided to update the 1999 Star. They ordered another tri-drive Western Star that was identical to the 2003.
They did make time to shine up their trucks and take them to BC Big Rig Weekend. They had wanted to go for a few years and finally made it. And as Tiffany says “I guess it’s a good thing we did because if we hadn’t, someone else would have taken home the 1ST and 2ND place trophies for logging trucks. Seriously though, winning 1st place at BC Big Rig was great and it was especially fun for me to beat Jed. He has all kinds of excuses but, like I’ve always told him, my truck just looks better”
And from there JF Logging kept growing and building a name with their Black & Chrome Logging trucks taking the logging world by storm. As the saying goes “It’s nothing but Logs & Chrome”, the team is going strong and with that has built a fan base following along with social media and the truck shows. A demand has risen where followers have started to ask for swag from JF Logging. And so, with that Black Army Clothing Company was formed. Bringing fans and the general public clothing of JF Logging and more.
Jed & Tiffany would like to thank the contractors that have hired them to haul their wood. They have had the opportunity to work for some of the best logging companies in the province and travel roads that only a few are lucky enough to see. It’s a crazy world and you never know where it will lead but taking the proverbial, “road less traveled,” was the best turn they ever made.