The bane of every editor's daily job responsibilities is the question we are bombarded with constantly, "How do I get my truck featured in the magazine?" Naturally, this question has been answered by every editor, including at all of our competitive magazines, at least a thousand times.
The real quality-built trucks and their owners pretty much know how to get their trucks in the magazine because they actually attend the truck shows we go to. For future reference for those who have to ask the question, "How do I get my truck in the magazine?" read the Happenings show calendar. We put it in there for a reason, so you can know where we will be for any particular show. If you attend these shows and you are approached by us to shoot your truck, hopefully we can do so. Also, at the end of our Readers' Rides section, we occasionally put in the small print an editorial piece on how to properly submit material to have your truck photographed. You can also submit your images via our website at www.truckinweb.com, but you must include an actual telephone number so we can contact you. Often times, a picture isn't enough. We want to know other details, and that is why we want to talk to you.
Don't be too surprised if we never actually call you or talk to you, as we are literally besieged by requests on a daily basis by people requesting the very same thing, and there is simply no way we can get to every request. I will also tell you right now - if you think you have a truck that is cover worthy, great, but in hindsight, I can tell you it may not be worthy of the World's Leading Truck Publication, as there are quite literally very few trucks or SUVs that we find appropriate enough to warrant the cover. After all, the cover truck is supposed to be over-the-top, not something anyone can easily duplicate through mail order parts or simply by putting every bolt-on accessory out of a catalog. Often times, less is more.
The other question we are besieged with is, "Why do all the cover trucks feature graphics?" My answer is, refer to the above paragraph. The reason most of the cover trucks feature graphics is because these are the most eye-pleasing vehicles we can find. Unless your monochromatic-painted truck is so over-the-top with other details that it simply cannot be overlooked, odds are it won't make the cover. Who really wants to look at the cover when there's a nice, red Ford F-150, Silverado, or Dodge Ram with low stance and cool wheels on it? Anyone can build that very same vehicle. I see hundreds of very-cool, ultra-clean drivers on a daily basis. Build a truck that is new, unique, original, and different, and you will be noticed - trust me. Say for instance, you have built the world's first body-dropped '04 Ford F-150. You are someone I would like to talk to. Show me a picture of a body-dropped '88-'98 Chevy C/K 1500, and I will probably ask what makes your truck different from every other body-dropped C/K of the same time period. Is a truck of this era feature-worthy? You bet. Is it cover worthy? It better be pretty damn nice and original with a totally off-the-hook new theme and something never done before to really get me talking about putting it on the cover.