Merle Clizbe joined the Whitewood fleet in January 1999 after running for several years under his own authority. His interest in the trucking industry began when he was 10 years old riding with his uncle, and led to a life-long career in the trucking industry. His uncle lived in Washington State and hauled logs in the North Cascades. He would often pass by Merle’s house and stop to pick him up either for the trip into the woods to load logs or to go to the mill to unload. As a 10-year old boy, Merle thought that was very exciting.
Merle has amassed 52 years in the trucking industry, logging a total of over 5 million miles—678,313 of those miles for Whitewood Transport. While at Whitewood, he has received seven safety awards and had only one minor preventable accident in 2004. He is a knowledgeable, experienced driver and a true ambassador for the trucking industry, always willing to share stories or his expertise with others. Merle is especially interested in the history of trucking safety and how it has evolved over time. In his early career he set the hand brake on the floor of the cab and then got out of the truck to place wood blocks behind the tires. Now he pushes a yellow button and the air brakes are set. He also considers power steering a great invention! Merle currently owns a 2003 Kenworth W900L and a 2002 Talbert 3 axle lowboy.
Merle and his wife Pat fish and camp together, and Merle enjoys sport shooting. Pat loves Merle’s positive outlook and his deep dedication to family—he treasures the time he spends with his seven grown sons and their families. They have 23 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. Merle has one sister who also has six children. With a smile on his face, Merle says he loves big families and family gatherings. Because of their shear numbers, they usually need to rent a community hall to accommodate the whole family for special occasions.
The entire Whitewood family is very proud of Merle and applauds him being awarded this very special honor.
