Larry Koester readily admits that he just might be the shortest trucker on earth. At 4-feet, 2-inches tall, his legs can't even reach the floorboard, so when he drives a truck (strictly off-road, on his 2,000-acre farm) he has to use a baseball bat to work the clutch, throttle and brakes.
Still, being vertically challenged hasn't shortened his success, nor dimmed his outlook on life. He's part of a successful trucking enterprise. He competes successfully in tractor pulls. He gives generously of his time and resources to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
He also used to be two feet taller than he is now.
Koester, 45, has been involved with trucks since a child. He learned most of what he knows from his 84-year-old father, Oscar, who has been in the trucking business for 60 years. Larry and his two brothers, Joe and John, purchased their first truck in 1982 and eventually had 25 vehicles running local, short-haul runs for nearby mining operations. They called their new enterprise OK Trucking, after Oscar Koester. "He always initialed everything with OK, so we decided to go with that name," says Koester.
Koester also competes regularly in an obscure form of motor sports known as mini-modified tractor pulls, under the sponsorship of Pennzoil Long-Life Heavy Duty Engine Oil.
Those familiar with the sport refer to it simply as "pulling." The vehicles are similar to regular dragsters, yet shorter. They use larger heavy-duty, truck-type tires while pulling 12,000 to 15,000 pounds of load that slides forward and eventually forces the car to a stop. The competition consists of both timing and distance events. He finished third in the national point standings in two of the last three years, and finished first in 1997.
For most people, the rigors of trucking and racing would seem to be more than enough, but not for Koester. The Evansville, Ind., native is also an active volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Over the past five years, he estimates he has helped to raise close to a $100,000 for the group. In August 1999, he helped collect $25,000 during one racing stop in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The racing and charity work, he says, wouldn't be possible without the Pennzoil sponsorship that he picked up 1998. "The Pennzoil people have been very supportive, and an excellent sponsor," says Koester. "Naturally, of course, it's our engine oil of choice in our trucks, too."
So what inspires him? Koester is one of those rare individuals with the God-given gift to turn tragedy into triumph.
Koester used to be a strapping 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 215 pounds. As a teenager, he could throw a baseball nearly 100 mph and carried a batting average in the .400s. Scouts from the Philadelphia Phillies even paid him a visit at one point. Then a tragic farming accident turned his life upside down. He's a double-amputee now and dependent on a wheelchair.
The accident occurred in 1986 when Koester ventured too close to an embankment while mowing his yard on a 12,000-pound tractor. The tractor flipped over, and he was pinned underneath. Gasoline began pouring out and eventually covered his entire body. At the same time, a "slow moving vehicle" sign on the fender of the tractor caused a depressed skull fracture, knocking Koester unconscious.
As help was arriving, a spark ignited the gasoline and Koester suffered second and third-degree burns to 40% of his body. He was in a coma for six weeks. When he woke up, his legs were gone.
"Initially, there was a lot of self pity," admits Koester. "But the support of my family and friends helped me get on with my life. And because driving had been such an important part of my life, staying involved in the trucking industry helped quite a bit. So did getting involved with racing. I simply love to drive.
"That led to my work with the Make-A-Wish (MAW) Foundation. We set up special tents at the various racing venues. You should see the reaction from the crowd when I get out of my tractor and into the wheelchair. It puts the majority of them into a real giving mood."
Koester also has an effect on the MAW children who attend the races. When not competing on the track, he's often giving the kids a ride on his ATV. The interaction, he says, is good therapy for him and the children.
Last year, the Koesters decided to downsize their company to 10 trucks, when a larger fleet, Hobbs & Hall, bought them out. The new concern specializes in hauling bulk commodities, mostly fertilizers, feeds and recycled materials throughout the Midwest and Southeast. The fleet of Mack, International and Freightliner trucks consists of daycabs and over-the-road tractors, as well as tri-axle and quad-axle trucks for the family's old mining accounts.
Koester remains active in the new company — hiring, training, loading trucks, dispatching, handling maintenance and taking care of longtime customers. "They wanted my company for what I knew," he says. "I've been under trucks, in 'em and dispatching 'em for 25 years." Maybe size does matter; that is, if you're talking about the size of one's heart and soul.
