News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

By: Craig Peters

As the custom lift gate opened, the equipment staff wheeled out a large speaker, cranked up the tunes and enjoyed wrapping the final road trip of 2025 with gratitude for the truck's speedy return. After all, every minute matters in a short week that also included Minnesota wearing its Winter Warrior uniforms on Christmas.

Throw in a sunny day with temps above 35, and everyone was grooving to OutKast's "The Way You Move." Two video producers with the Vikings Entertainment Network strolled out to reclaim camera cases that are part of each road trip's delivery. The rolling cases and trunks laid down a distinct "B-A-S-S, bass" line.

A few steps over in a warehouse, truck driver Terry Pernsteiner stood — doesn't that always feel good after a long roadie? — and summed up his thoughts after his fourth trip in five weeks.

"I have to admit, it's very bittersweet because this fraternity, this unspoken thing we talked about [with Vikings staff and employees from other teams] is very real, kind of familial," Terry said. "You know what I mean?

I do — both in terms of my normal duties, as well as the enlightenment from riding along with Terry to and from Green Bay, plus visiting with him at Seattle and Dallas.

"When the season ends, there's this vacuum," he explains. "It becomes so much of you because we invest all our passion into the season. You walk away and feel like a lost puppy."

Having not been on the trip to the Giants game (I feel a weird combo of gratitude and guilt, since it was such an ordeal for those on the team charter), I had numerous questions.

As Terry described meaningful relationships he's developed with Giants assistants, a downtime jaunt to the iconic McSorley's Old Ale House (Est. 1854) and Burp Castle ("We went to a whisper bar!") in the East Village of Lower Manhattan, the time spent waiting at MetLife Stadium for the Vikings equipment staff's arrival late the previous Saturday, and a favorite Pennsylvania truck stop with potato chips cooked in lard, Vikings Director of Equipment Services Mike Parson approached.

"Every equipment manager needs a great truck driver, and we've got the best in the business in Terry, because he's going to get everything there before he says he will, and once he gets there, he's an extension of our staff," Parson said. "He's already ahead of the game by the time we land."

I ask how helpful Terry — and trucking so much of the equipment — was with overcoming the prolonged travel delay. The Vikings team charter neared Milwaukee on its initial plane before returning to MSP because of a mechanical issue. Eventually everyone and everything moved to a smaller airplane that landed at Newark International around 11:30 p.m. (ET).

"It was great, because going to a smaller plane, if we didn't truck, we wouldn't have had enough room to put everything underneath," Parson said. "We would have been trying to figure out, 'What's the most important thing?'

"But when you have a guy like Terry, he drives throughout the night," Parson continued. "He wasn't supposed to be back until tonight, and he's way ahead of what we thought, so that gave us all the time we needed. On a short week, we were behind the 8-ball. Now, we're a lot closer than we were last night."

Editor's note: Writers like having stories to relay and love characters. This particular writer prefers naturally occurring characters, especially when they can be observed in their element.

I had long wanted to write a feature story based on limited previous interactions with Terry and because of my fascination with the operation. That desire intensified after observing Terry on the practice field and about town in Ware, England.

So I emailed Parson and invited myself on the ride to Green Bay. He forwarded it to Terry, who has worked with NFL teams for more than 30 years.

That's a book's worth of stories to try to relay in this space, but here's a run, beginning with gratitude to Parson; Terry; Vikings Assistant Equipment Manager Adam Groene, who rides with Terry on the trips to Green Bay and Chicago each year; and Ben Ryan, who goes everywhere, for OK'ing the ride-along.

Terry likes to say "When you meet me, you meet me." Here's an introduction.

A road with roots

"We're heavy," Terry says before the first full turn of 18 wheels away from the loading dock. It's 6:20 a.m. the day before Minnesota visits Green Bay for the 130^th Border Battle, and the new rig is starting its 1,832^nd mile.

He'd know, and he's correct. An axiom established by former Vikings Equipment Manager Dennis Ryan is "be prepared for everything a player or coach could want." The timing of this game, along with weather's prerogative to change, meant hauling 39,000 pounds of equipment — setting a new Vikings record likely to become the general standard for late-season outdoor games.

This is as familiar of a trip as it gets, even though it's the first time the truck is making a delivery at the team hotel in Appleton before heading to Lambeau Field.

We are a little way into Wisconsin on I-94 when Terry mentions he's been tracking conditions for Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 in Washington for the following week's trip (another CDL driver named Charlie McDaniel also makes the long trips so that the truck can keep moving when Terry's hours reach their limit). Terry placed tire chains in the truck's storage area because they are required through the pass, but today's journey is smooth sailing with dry roads.

So how did Terry go from a modest upbringing in Medford, Wisconsin, to spending social time at Chiefs training camp with Joe Montana and offering Dan Marino respite, or joining Minnesota for the international double dip in non-driving support roles since the NFL contracted Rock-It Cargo, which built its business with major rock tours, for logistics help.

"Imagine the guys that do rock 'n' roll bands. They're covered in tattoos and stories," Terry says as an aside.

Minnesota shipped some items well in advance of the team's Ireland/UK departure. Terry, by the way, has guided vessels through 7-foot waves on Lake Superior near Isle Royale and survived 14-footers while steering a Nordhavn near the Bahamas.

"The freedom, it was amazing. I fell in love with it," Terry says, pointing to his wrist and then his shark's tooth necklace. "That's why I have all these bracelets. I was a competitive swimmer."

The 40-foot Nordhavn — "I'm a good driver of big things, so I got this thing." — is a slow trawler with a 2,800-mile fuel range, and Terry's received a custom teak and holly floor installed with his carpentry skills.

"Now you can charge $30,000 to put in a floor, so when I got done, my broker guy and I became friends, he said, 'This is as good as a factory install. I have two more boats. Will you do them?'

"I said no. There's nothing square on a boat," Terry explains as my own woodworking misadventures on simpler products spin through my mind like a table saw. "You have to glue the stuff down. It was really a tedious job."

From high seas to highways, Terry keeps the wheels turning ahead of schedule to fulfill regimented requirements of an NFL team — but he also enjoys unexpected discoveries along the way.

His NFL origin story is rooted in how many squads formerly held training camps in Wisconsin. In 1991, Terry made a connection with the Chiefs in River Falls, handling their gear from the airport to campus and from campus to a scrimmage with the Vikings at the Metrodome. Unbeknownst to Terry, he was being evaluated; and after impressing people, he was brought in to help with the Vikings.

The trucking of equipment stemmed from necessity: "All of a sudden, we stopped fitting on a plane. We couldn't fit on a 757."

Dennis asked if Terry was willing to drive to Chicago. Despite wearing a brace to help a torn biceps heal, Terry guided the automatic straight truck to Soldier Field, which had experienced a heavy snowfall. Hundreds were shoveling on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. Staff there helped unload the truck and became dear friends.

"We get to know each other on a visceral level that is indescribable," Terry says of the relationships, particularly within the division that are fostered through annual visits. "It all starts with integrity, like Ben back there. You won't find a more straight-up guy in the world. He's the healthiest human being, both mentally and physically."

Now 65 in calendar years, Terry jokes he's "mechanically put together."

Two artificial hips, a recent shoulder surgery, having his biceps "put back on" and recovering from a torn pec will do that to a fella.

For some reason, I'm most interested in learning how the torn biceps occurred. Soon, I'm glad I asked.

Terry was helping the Lions unload at the Metrodome.

"They had this big rock they brought, and it said the most not-motivating thing I ever saw, "Not good enough yet." I'm like, are you f-n' kidding me?' And the players were supposed to touch it, so I watched them go take the field and maybe three players touched it," Terry recalls. "I wouldn't touch that thing, either. It's like bad luck. 'Don't worry, son, you're not good enough yet, but you might get there,' so when my biceps tore off, everyone said, 'Was it the f-n' rock?' So everywhere I went, 'Are you the guy that had the biceps tear on the rock?'

"It was a heavy trunk, and when you're over 40, you can't catch weight like this," he explains with a gesture — sorry, I was still laughing about the rock and didn't fully observe the demo. "You have to have your arm extended. I found that out."

Space needs play a significant role, but so does the desire to shave minutes or an hour-plus from travel operations for the team.

Playing at San Francisco in December 2007, Dennis was interested in trimming time spent by the team on the tarmac.

The equipment staff hurriedly loaded one truck to leave for the airport 20 minutes after the game. A second truck would bring the rest, but the idea was that the first truck would be unloaded so that only a little bit remained by the time the team arrived at the airport.

The other logistical aspect is working with the former airline representative assigned to the Vikings to get the stuff on the plane. It proved to be quite a hurdle on that trip, but Terry was eventually able to execute his part of the plan.

"When you grow up poor, you've got one thing: your reputation," Terry says. "You lose it, you've got nothing; and I fiercely hold onto to that."

The reputation Terry has earned for reliability makes him the first call for visiting teams.

During Super Bowl LII, Terry was the first call for both teams.

"No one had ever done both [participating teams] because that's 2,200. (Each team has 1,100 friends and family)," he explains. "You've got multiple flights. I got all my friends — 52 trucks, cube vans, anything I could get.

"The Patriots said, 'It's the first time in all the Super Bowls that every suitcase went to the right hotel,' " Terry continues. "I tell you what, there's some luck involved there: 2,200 pieces of luggage going to 12 different hotels. Sometimes the plane would come in and have seven different hotels.

"The Eagles asked if I wanted to be on the sideline with them. It was kind of surreal," he adds. "After the game, the locker room has the trophy, shirts, hats — what an immersive experience!"

It was a reward for withstanding subzero temperatures and being awake more than 30 straight hours while coordinating the logistics.

"Let's eat," Adam breaks in as he reaches into a brown paper care package with breakfast burritos and bacon, along with some nutritious snacks.

As Ben begins describing his "once upon a time go-to" McDonald's order of "a Big Mac, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, two McChickens, two McDoubles, three large fries and two large drinks," Terry exclaims, "Show him the burger you ate!"

"There's a picture — he got his name on the wall in Canton," Terry says. "There's 3 pounds of meat. Look at the fries back there. I have no idea how much weight that is. He ate that in 45 minutes."

Ben adds with pride, "There's a couple of milkshakes in there, too, vanilla and apple pie."

George's in Canton features Ben's picture because he conquered the six-patty, three-bun behemoth while in town to celebrate his dad Dennis receiving an Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in summer 2025.

Asked if he's ever thought about competitive eating, Ben replies with classic Ryan-family humility, "I just like to eat. I don't think I'd want to compete."

During this time, Terry has had a strip of bacon, and I've been housing a burrito between jotting down notes.

"Hey Ben, they governed this truck to go faster than the other ones. I want to see how fast," Terry says, soon finding out that the max is 77, which is 7 miles per hour faster, which will help across Montana on the way to and from Seattle.

Tests of endurance

Adam earned degrees from the University of Minnesota and West Virginia and launched his career in NFL Europe before the Brewster (it's northeast of Worthington on Highway 60) native returned to his home state.

He had utilized the night before as an opportunity to visit home ahead of Thanksgiving, a down-after-finishing-work-and-back within the same night to be back for this haul, with the cargo and truck coming near 70,000 pounds (the max is 80,000).

"We're like real truckers right now," Terry says. "When I started in 1991 and took visiting teams, they came with 7,000 pounds. Now it's at least 30,000.

"The amount of stuff he prepares for these road games is inconceivable," Terry says. "How many hours did you work this week, Adam?"

"I don't know," Adam shrugs.

"Yeah, that's the standard answer," Terry replies, noting sports is not really an industry for clock watchers.

Along the way, the guys rehash the cattywampus essence of the 2010 season, which included the collapse of the Metrodome roof in December and relocating the operation within about 36 hours as a home game against the Giants was moved to Detroit.

The following week, the Vikings hosted the Bears at the University of Minnesota, and the stadium needed to be reopened after having been shut down for the winter. The venue proved to be the location for Brett Favre's final career snaps.

Then, as if things weren't weird enough that season, the Vikings got marooned in Philadelphia in Week 16 by the threat of a projected Sunday snowstorm that didn't hit until Monday. The Vikings toyed with the idea of flying back to Minnesota, leading to 12 employees that were setting up the locker room at the Eagles stadium jumping in the semi cab with suitcases — "elbows and asses" — for a ride back to the team hotel.

When the group got back to the hotel, the Philadelphia airport closed. At last on Tuesday, Joe Webb filled in at QB for his first of only two starts at QB, and the Vikings clipped the Eagles before returning to Detroit to close one of the oddest four-week stretches a team has ever endured.

International relations

"The interesting thing about sports and everyone around it is everyone is really honest and full of gratitude to be able to do this," Terry explains. "I did it for years for almost nothing. I used to go pick up the Chiefs, and I just wanted to shag punts and throw the football. I charged them 220 bucks to go over to River Falls and back to the airport. For years, it was so fun to be around. There was a time I could catch punts. Ben's a master. My days are over."

I saw you fielding punts on the hillside in Ware.

"Hahaha," he bellows. "That was pure entertainment."

I mean it's not the easiest thing to do on flat ground, and you were on an English hillside.

"Yeah, it's wet and the grass is long."

We just needed that visual by that point of that week. I was just standing there enjoying the scene.

"Everyone was. When I fell down, I was going back down to the grid, hit the flat and fell back. … Andrew DePaola patted me on the back and said, 'That's what I like about you. You're old-school, tough.' "

During free time the Saturday night before Minnesota's game against Cleveland, Terry held court at The Brewery Tap, circa 1509. He ingratiated himself during the week as a bloke with patrons and the pub's owner, receiving a special tour of a unique cellar space.

"I was with my mates. One guy was a bin hauler, a garbage guy, and the other guy was a construction guy," says Terry, who also is a builder and developer beyond the NFL.

"That night was a crazy night. I was going to have a quiet night … "

He wanted to go say goodbye to The Brewery Tap's owner John, and walked from Fanhams Hall (a beautiful property that hosted overflow staff that did not fit at Hanbury Manor) to downtown Ware. A local resident originally from South Africa now married to an Irish lass, spotted Terry and conversed about flint and other archeological items before presenting Terry with a cannonball from the 1500s.

When he arrived back at Fanhams Hall, a couple of wedding guests were outside smoking cigs, a veteran of the Royal Air Force and an active-duty military member. Terry's reason for being in the UK comes up, and one of the guys reveals a Viking medallion and tattoos.

Terry wound up presenting a Vikings shirt and got invited to join the wedding.

"They bring me a drink, and it's an exact Wisconsin old fashioned," Terry says. " 'This is my favorite drink. This is what I would have asked for. What do you call it?' 'A traditional or something.' I said we call it an old fashioned. They drag me to the buffet line. I see the bride, 'Hey, how are you? Let's get a picture.' I text it to the bride."

It was all good… but Terry did get asked to leave by the wedding planner.

Game eve and game day

We make the drop in Appleton, reload on coffee and head to Lambeau Field, ahead of schedule. There's enough time for lunch (Adam & I opt for breakfast choices) at Lala's Café & Catering before meeting up with Green Bay's assistants (referred to affectionately as "clubbies") to unload the truck.

Terry's attention to detail makes him the ideal person to add nameplate stickers to every locker. Adam leads the way on knowing where everything goes, and Ben, myself and the "clubbies" place almost everything before the bus with the rest of the equipment staff and members of the health and performance team arrives so they can do a bit of prep work. We bus back to the team hotel and then take the early bus to Lambeau Field for final prep work before the first of two waves of buses arrive with all coaches and most players.

Terry transfers the schedule to a whiteboard so players will have exact timing for pregame activities. He assembles the traveling Jugs (football launching) machine used by return specialists and checks in on the heated benches, later decreasing the heat on one at the request of Minnesota's offensive linemen. Those guys run hot.

Before the game, while standing on the field, Terry hears someone saying his name. He looks over, and it's Harrison Smith.

The safety says, "Terry, I like the truck."

"He had sent me some designs for what he was thinking," Smith later told me. "He gave me a couple of different options, and I told him what I liked, what I didn't like.

"I saw it pull up and was like, 'Oh, sick!' It's perfect," Smith added.

Smith and Terry have developed a relationship over the years that's even led to the idea of Smith one day joining Terry for a Vikings road trip.

"We've talked about it. We've slowly, I guess, gotten to know each other. We have a cool relationship where we kind of give each other a hard time, but I definitely have an appreciation for him and what he does for the organization, like the stuff no one knows about that goes into the game," Smith said. "He's also just a fascinating human, the stuff that he does and places he travels. He's always fun to talk to and insightful about life."

At halftime, Terry helps change out batteries for coaches' headsets, and the equipment staff starts loading everything that was brought but will not be used, and Terry continues loading the truck during the second half.

The 18 wheels start their rotations forward from Lambeau Field at 4:35 p.m. The truck dips back down to Appleton for the item that was needed at the team hotel (but doesn't fit on the bus) and then continues the trek back to TCO Performance Center.

Terry, Ben and I discuss the game, I work on the next day's Mailbag (which included a note about Ben catching the 59-yard field goal by Will Reichard), and there are some more philosophical discussions.

Terry opens up on how tough the 2008 financial collapse was on his building/developing business and how he emerged, leaning on tenacity and strategy.

"It's so painful that I would never judge anyone," Terry says. "I did take an easier lane because you crawl, walk, run again. You take cautious — you literally have PTSD, serious emotional scarring when you go through it that bad.

He leans on an array of experiences when young people ask his advice.

"I tell young people … your first job teaches you responsibility, how to deal with the public, and all these things that will help you later," he explains. "Every single job you do — I was a janitor; I worked at a cemetery and mowed the lawn. I cleaned a store in junior high for some money to buy clothes and all the donuts I could eat.

"All those things that seemed inconsequential were actually hugely informative for me to get where I am today," he added. "I say, 'Don't worry about what you're making. Keep your head down and just show up and do what you're supposed to do. Your word has got to be your word, and just watch where that will take you.' "

Immersive experiences

"Immersive" is perhaps the best word to describe the way Terry experiences life, and he likes to create experiences for others.

At the Seattle team hotel, Terry and Ben met Aaron Clark, a member of the Vikings 2025 Unified Flag Team. Upon learning Aaron's enthusiasm for big trucks, Terry offered the opportunity for Aaron and his father Kim to ride in the semi to the Unified Bowl at the Seahawks headquarters. Terry helped create forever memories for Aaron, having him sit in the driver's seat and pull down the cord to sound the truck's mighty horn.

Terry's a driver of things and a builder of people, living generously because he understands the privilege of making positive impacts on others at every turn.