One Call Concepts, Inc. (OCC), notification service provider for Gopher State One Call (GSOC), and One Call Concepts Locating Services (OCCLS) are pleased to announce the release of a new icon for damage prevention: the 811 Trike. Built by Paul Jr. Designs (PJD) as the third OCC-commissioned 811 vehicle after the 811 Car and 811 Bike, the 811 Trike was unveiled on April 25th, 2018 at the OCC Corporate/ OCCLS office in Hanover, MD. In agreement with the Discovery Channel, the hit show “American Chopper” aired an episode on June 25th, 2018 showcasing the design, construction, and unveil of the new 811 vehicle.
The 811 Trike is a specially customized three-wheeled bike, built with a high-performance Ultima Long Rod 140 Engine with 160 horsepower and 175 lbs-ft of torque. The engine has heavy duty C355 castings and dynamic balanced press pin crank shafts with eight rods to increase performance. Paul Jr. incorporated similar symbols from the excavation industry into the design of the 811 Trike, Car, and Bike to make them thematically similar: backhoe buckets, digging tools, and an 811 logo can be seen in all three. A new unique feature on the Trike are the APWA color-coded mechanized cords running through the vehicle that represent the five (out of eight) main utility colors: yellow, green, orange, red, and blue.
The 811 Trike is now the third 811 vehicle in the collection, but where did the idea for a custom 811 vehicle originate? In 2011, OCC commissioned PJD to design a custom motorcycle called the 811 Bike. OCC planned to use the Bike in an innovative attempt to communicate the 811 message to an entirely new audience composed largely of motorcycle enthusiasts and fans of Paul Jr.’s TV show American Chopper.
After six months of planning and construction, Paul Jr. unveiled the 811 Bike at the 2011 Greater Chesapeake Damage Prevention Training Conference (GCDPTC) in Ocean City, Maryland. The 811 Bike appeared at state fairs, damage prevention summits, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) Excavation Safety Conference & Expo, motorcycle rallies, fundraisers, 811 runs, and major and minor league sporting events. During National Safe Digging Month in April 2015, in the only month-long event of its type in the country, the Bike traveled throughout Texas, appearing at 11 different events. Overall, the 811 Bike traveled over 200,000 miles across 33 different states between 2011-2016.
In early 2016, due to the tremendous success of the 811 Bike, OCC commissioned Paul Jr. to build the 811 Car. The planning and construction of the vehicle took nine months to complete. The Car, like the Bike before it, was first unveiled in October 2016 at the GCDPTC, followed by an industry-wide premiere at the CGA Excavation Safety Conference & Expo in March 2017. Jimmy Jennings, guardian and protector of the Car and Bike, traveled over 50,000 miles with both vehicles “on the road to damage prevention” between 2016-2018.
Current plans call for the 811 Trike and Bike to travel the nation together continuing the Car and Bike’s tradition of teaching new audiences about protecting the underground infrastructure. Watch for a Trike appearance near you in 2018 and follow the 811 vehicles on the Facebook page “811 On The Road” for more information, photos, videos, and giveaways!