Before the Highway
Long before interstate highways, GPS tracking, or corporate logos, there were trucks — and the people who kept them moving.
This photograph shows Émile Lacasse, my grandfather, seated on the right during World War II.
It wasn’t taken in the middle of battle, but in a quiet moment between operations — a pause in the chaos.
No urgency.
No noise.
Just a truck, a cigarette, and a few minutes of normal life before moving again.
Moments like this only existed because the work was done.
Logistics Was the Front Line
During World War II, transport and logistics were as critical as the front line itself.
Fuel.
Ammunition.
Food.
Troops.
Equipment.
If it didn’t move, the war stopped.
Convoys didn’t always face enemy fire — but they carried constant responsibility.
Every delay mattered.
Every breakdown carried risk.
Trucks like the one in this photo carried the unseen weight of entire operations.
Victory didn’t arrive on its own.
It was delivered.
The Weight of Responsibility
This wasn’t glamorous work.
It was repetitive. Demanding. Relentless.
But it mattered.
Reliability mattered.
Preparation mattered.
Doing the work — even when no one was watching — mattered.
That truth hasn’t changed.
A Legacy That Still Moves
I work in trucking today — in a different era, with different tools — but the same truth remains.
Nothing moves without logistics.
Nothing gets built without transport.
Nothing survives without supply lines.
The challenges may look different now:
Tighter timelines.
Stricter regulations.
Higher expectations.
But the foundation hasn’t changed.
This isn’t just history to me.
It’s family.
From my grandfather’s wartime transport service
to modern trucking,
to the work we do today at Alyak 2000.
Some things don’t change.
— Bruce Lacasse
Founder, Alyak 2000 Inc.
Grandson of Émile Lacasse
