BUCYRUS – Ryan Dyer keeps on trucking.

Dyer, 44, was born with cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair his whole life.  But on Friday, he will be hoisted into a semi-truck at Hord Family Farms in Bucyrus.  His first time in a cab.  Riding shotgun to Findlay.  And fulfilling the dream of a lifetime.

“I said, ‘We can make it work for him.  We want to do that.’  I’m excited,” said Janel Hord, vice president of administrative services for the fifth-generation family farm.  “This is something he’s passionate about so we’re going to make it happen.”

Hord arranged for the trip after being contacted by Dyer’s friend and advocate, Tom Baum.  She also stopped by to check out his American Truck Simulator, a gaming system which allows him to hit the road day or night.  “It’s a way for me to drive without driving,” Dyer explained.

He purchased the simulator about six years ago, then added a steering wheel from an actual rig as well as foot pedals, which he had modified with conduit pipe so that he could use his hands instead of his feet to operate the gas and brake.

Dyer also installed three computer screens, two custom-made button boxes, Surround Sound, and an IR tracker camera to make the game as realistic as possible.  The mods he downloaded have road maps of the states, iconic landmarks, and even rest areas for the long hauls.

“I learn through YouTube,” said Dyer, a 1999 Colonel Crawford graduate.  “I can move my hands but not my feet.  I figure it out.”

Baum, who has known Dyer for 22 years, now works as his direct support professional.  “He doesn’t like to say, ‘I can’t do it.’  He tries to overcome his disability,” he said.  “Ryan has never let his disability get in the way of him trying to do something.”

Although Dyer has a collection of legendary American truck paraphernalia in his gaming room, he’s always been more fascinated with his hometown trucks.  “We’d be out in town, and he’d say, ‘There’s another Hord truck.  There’s another one,’” Baum said.

Last year they paid a visit to the sprawling farm and elevator on Ohio 98 so Dyer could take photos of the fleet – and the familiar logo.  Then he recreated the vehicles on his gaming system – right down to the red paint, chrome, lights, and tires – so he could experience driving them, too.

When he’s not racking up road miles across the country, Dyer works four days a week at McDonald’s in Bucyrus.  “He’s smart.  He’s very smart,” Baum said.  “He learns to adapt to life by overcoming his disability.  Independence is very important to him.  He’s an amazing guy.”

On Friday, Dyer will work with Chad Kin, Hord’s feed mill manager, and start in the morning with a pre-trip inspection.  “It’s more than just the semi ride for him,” Baum said.  “He wants the whole gamut.  He wants to know what they do the whole day.”

Because he’ll be king of the road that day.

“It’s a lesson for all of us, his desire to keep learning and doing,” said Hord, who gave Dyer a souvenir Hord hat for the special occasion.  “A community just needs to take care of its community.”