Giving Back In A Unique Way
By: Keith Pontnack
The Pontnack family grew up about 50 miles from the town of Rochelle, Illinois. Keith and his siblings worked a dairy farm and learned the work ethic and pride of a typical Midwest farm family. He attended school through 10th grade but joined the family business on the farm before graduating.
Keith, as part of his job, started driving farm vehicles as did many teens his age. Driving laws at the time allowed him to drive the dairy truck locally before he had a full CDL license. At 21, he could drive on the highway in a low hauler inside the state of Illinois. He recalls having to take a driving test but not having to attend a driving school to get his license.
Once he could drive around the country, his route took him coast to coast. He was lucky to be home at least one day of the weekend for the first 25 years of his career. The last fifteen years of his career he drove locally on a route where he was home most nights. This job was taken so he could join the Teamsters and receive a pension after retirement. So, 42 years of driving and 3 million miles allowed him to see the country and get off the dairy farm.
Keith first met the Lord when a driver friend took him to church. He repented of his sin and prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior. This decision brought about a huge change in his life. It was 38 years into his driving career when he came to know the Lord. Keith immediately felt burdened to share the gospel in some way while he was driving and delivering his loads. He bought his own truck and drove as an independent for 5 years, decorating his truck with crosses and telling drivers over the radio and at stopovers about Jesus. He quickly developed a reputation for his new life as a Christian. He knows without a doubt that he was protected numerous times from accidents.
One of the consequences of his trucking career was the loss of his first marriage due to his unfaithfulness. His second marriage lasted for 37 years before his wife died from cancer. He met his wife Marguerite at church when his pastor played matchmaker. From meeting to marriage, it was six weeks. He counts himself very blessed to have met his wife—they used quick-witted teasing with each other yet were respectful.
Keith has always had a desire to serve God in some way. He helps locally at a mission by hauling furniture for people who are starting over. He does some yard maintenance at the church. But it is his ministry alongside Chaplain Jay LeRette that helps him give back to the community that he spent so many years working in—the trucking community.
Marguerite was the connection between Jay LeRette and Keith. He now drives his 1970 GMC truck, which has the unique patina of rust and orange (all original parts), around the parking lot at the Petro Travel Plaza in Rochelle, Illinois. The side of the truck has a sign that invites people to the nightly Bible study held in the trailer on the Petro property.
Keith thoroughly enjoys listening to drivers—where they are from, their stories from the road, and most importantly, their spiritual needs. The orange truck is a great conversation-starter for drivers to be open to coming into the trailer for the service or to allow Keith to pray for them. Chaplain Jay gently pushes Keith to go out of his comfort zone in doing ministry at the truck stop, even asking him to speak when Jay has to be out of town.
When asked what are the two biggest issues that affect the drivers today, Keith didn’t hesitate:
- Driver safety
- Poor treatment by some brokers, dispatchers, and depots
In Rochelle, there are many cold storage factories, but most of them don’t have any scales. So, the drivers go to the factory to get their load and then have to come back to the Petro to make sure they are under their weight limit. If they are not, they have to play the game of unloading some—but not too much—cargo and starting their journey. This journey is marked by rushing due to a messed-up time schedule or struggling with fatigue due to an over-scheduled route.
From the orange truck to the voice of experience, Keith reaches drivers, leading them to Jesus using actions AND words.
