Tyrone Malone – The most famous trucker in the world

Tyrone’s Trucking Life

Known as the ‘King of Truckers’, Tyrone spent 20 years of his life on the road. For 17 of them, he worked for Bandag, one of the largest international shipping companies. But in 1963, this trucker hatched a strange, and ultimately brilliant new plan. Sitting in a bar one night, he traced his plans on a napkin, in an attempt to cajole his friend, Warren Foletta, into agreeing to his crazy plan.

Of Whales and Trucks

Tyrone came up with the idea of ​​combining marine conservation awareness with transportation work. His strange plan was to obtain a sperm whale, freeze it and transport it around the world. And he did exactly that!

Tyrone approached a sea captain and engaged his services, along with a ship. He obtained a whaling permit from the US Department of the Interior and was soon out to sea in search of a whale. He hunted down a 20-ton whale, triumphantly brought it to shore, froze it, and loaded it onto his truck to begin a 30-year shipping mission that would take him around the world with his whale, Little Irvy, in tow.

Tyrone must have been a salesman at heart, as he managed to convince sea captains, government departments, and shipping companies to help him on his mission. He approached Kenworth, a trucking company, to let him use their 1967 10-wheeler. He then built a trailer to haul little Irvy around and it was all set.

Tyrone and Little Irvy toured the US, Canada and Europe, stopping at car shows and fairs so that the magnificent sight of a sperm whale in a truck could be seen at 35c per view. Tyrone saw it as something for the whole family, where the men could enjoy their big display truck, while the women could see the magnificent sea creature.

Continuing his desire to combine marine life with working for shipping companies, Tyrone also caught and loaded 3 sharks, which were frozen and displayed in a similar fashion to Little Irvy.

Tyrone’s tragic end

After attending a meeting in Phoenix to discuss plans to create a ‘Trucking Hall of Fame,’ Tyrone fell asleep at the wheel on his return trip. He died tragically and his plans to create a truck museum where he could display his trucks and his frozen marine animals were never completed. And all that remains as a testament to Tyrone’s lifetime of brilliant shipping work is the 20-ton frozen whale, Little Irvy.