Trucking community starts new year with love and unity
Published:Thursday | January 11, 2024 | 12:07 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Horns, lights, jakes and fireworks!
Clarendon came alive recently, with the second staging of the Munk Garage Truck Show and New Year’s Eve party.
The jam-packed Woodleigh Sports Complex venue in Clarendon saw hundreds of patrons and scores of truckers from across the island who drove in to join the festivities.
Christopher Rickman, the event organiser and proprietor of Munk Industrial Garage in Clarendon, cited philanthropy and a quest to carry on a family legacy at the helm of the event’s foundation, adding that he was pleased to see both stages come to fruition.
“We didn’t do it for money. We do it for love and unity within the trucking and wider community. That’s why we made it a family fun day that everyone could attend. My family was in the trucking business before I was born. My dad is considered one of the best truck mechanics in Jamaica. He built the fastest truck in Jamaica known to everyone, which was called ‘Excuse mi’, and I am just pursuing [my] family’s dream, and it is working.”
Rickman told The Gleaner that travelling overseas and attending various truck shows further piloted his interest in tapping into the venture for his fellow countrymen and truck enthusiasts to enjoy.
Scores of trucks lined the venue eager to compete in various categories, including loudest horns, loudest jakes, best engine bay, best customised truck, and best paint and body. Rickman said getting truckers islandwide to participate was an easy feat.
“We have one of the leading truck parts businesses in Jamaica, so it was pretty easy to get the truckers to join in because we know all the truckers islandwide, and they know we are trying to bring love and unity in the industry,” said Rickman.
He also lauded a pool of sponsors who came on board to see the event’s success.
One of the event sponsors, Chris Constantine of Every Trucking Ting in Kingston, also heaped praises on the event. Constantine’s school bus, which he retrofitted into a party truck, was one of the highlights at the show. Constantine told The Gleaner that he purchased one of the well-known yellow school buses and added several modifications, including bathrooms, four televisions, and bar counters.
“There are buses like this in Puerto Rico, and I’ve always loved the concept of taking a bus like this into a party bus. The response has been amazing. Everybody wants to rent it,” said Constantine, adding that the party bus rents at US$400 for four hours.
Million-dollar spend
Roger ‘Outlaw’ Mahtani had eyes glued to his 2016 Toyota Probox, which he modified to carry curtains and drapes and even a bar. The Clarendon native shared that he spent in excess of a million dollars to have his vehicle customised. Mahtani said he was thrilled at the exposure he received at the show. A sun roof, spilt bonnet, and a bar are some of the eye-catching features on Mahtani’s 2016 Probox, which he described as his dream car after spending the last year adding top-notch modifications.
“I wanted a luxury car, something like a Benz, but the money couldn’t go there, so I bought what I could afford and decided to customise it myself, and the [car] is now a head turner, a neck breaker,” shared Mahtani.
One patron who gave his name as Nick said: “This is the biggest event in Clarendon, and we look forward to it. If you notice how much people dey here. It tek wi over two hours to reach the venue because the traffic coming down here was heavy. Great show, and wi looking forward to next year.
The event culminated with a stage show headlined by Capleton and Tommy Lee Sparta.
The event’s organiser, Christopher Rickman, said the 2024 staging promises to be bigger as his team works on making the truck show into a two-day event.