At a time when gas prices have cruised right past the 4 dollar mark, people are looking at their budgets and thinking about that next tank of gas.

Not Kent Shockley.  At 376 miles an hour, he drives the world's fastest semi truck, according to the Guinness Book Of World Records.  He burns about 120 gallons of diesel each time he races.  You won't have to worry about him barreling down behind you on the freeway, but you can see him at various airshows across the country and even into Canada.

That's where he agreed to take KGW Newschannel 8's Stephanie Stricklen for a spin in his ride that regularly pushes 300 miles per hour in a matter of mere seconds.

First, the background; Kent Shockley drives for Shockwave Jet Trucks www.shockwavejets.com, a family owned business that has wowed crowds for years.  His Peterbuilt truck has three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 jet engines strapped to the back.  The acceleration and power is so intense that Kent tilted the engines at a 3 degree angle -- to keep the truck on the ground.

www.shockwavejets.com

Kent Shockley's Shockwave Jet Truck

This particular airshow, the Quebec Familiprix International Airshow, was in Quebec City.  To celebrate the city's 400 year anniversary, airshow organizers rolled out the red carpet and dazzled more than 150,000 spectators with 4 jet demonstration teams: the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds from the U.S., the Red Arrows from Britain, and the home team Canadian Snowbirds.

To stand out among that kind of airshow glitterati, you've really got to have a strong act-- something Kent has perfected over the years.  With smoke and fire and white-hot jet engines, you can always hear the crowd's approval when it's showtime.

Before you can ride as a passenger, you have to pick up a pen.  Once the necessary legal paperwork is signed, you get a briefing and it's time to suit up.  The equipment is simple and effective; a heavy fire suit, flame resistant gloves and shoes, and a heavy helmet.

Jean St-Cyr Photography

Stephanie Stricklen wears the one-size-fits-all fire suit.

The most difficult part is getting into the truck, which is bolstered by an interior web of heavy metal bars.  Once you're in, Kent's wife attaches a multi-buckle harness similar to one you'd find in the cockpit of a jet. 

Jean St-Cyr Photography

Stephanie Stricklen gets ready for her ride.

Kent offers two bits of advice to his passengers.  First, the acceleration is so fast it's about 4g's, or 4 times the weight of gravity.  He tells passengers to keep their hands in their laps and resist the urge to try and hold onto one of the metal bars.  Second, if it looks like he's going down the runway a touch sideways-- don't panic!  He's 'correcting' and doing it on purpose.

The show performance is impressive, loud, and flashy.  With smoke billowing from the jets and engulfing his truck, Kent lights a fire and the entire runway fills with an eerie orange glow.  The cab of the truck fills with a haze until he pops out into the clear night.  He throttles the jets a few times, throwing the truck forward in fits and spurts; a taste of things to come.

Jean St-Cyr Photography

Kent Shockley revs up his truck right before the race down the tarmac.

Then he heads down the long stretch of tarmac, amping up the crowd for the finale -- a full throttle speed attack down the runway that will push past 300 miles an hour in the first few seconds.

Kent positions the trucks and opens up the engines.  The acceleration is immediate and overwhelming.  The feeling is, frankly, difficult to describe.  Nothing about it makes sense.  A truck should not go that fast that quickly.  A truck should not go that fast at all, really.  As the feeling of your body weight doubles and triples you sink firmly into your seat.  You try to keep calm but, let's face it, your heart is racing and your adrenaline is pumping. 

The crowd, the lights, everything seems to blur and before you know it the drag chute deploys and you get a hard lesson in braking.

"That was a fast one," says Kent quietly to his wife after she greets him at the end of the runway.  And that's when you realize while it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience as a passenger, for Kent, it's just another day on the job doing what he loves best.

There is video of Stephanie's actual ride at the Quebec Familiprix International Airshow. Visit this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO6Gh2F6AZc

A big thank you to Steve Holzinger at http://www.stevesairshow.com/ for taking such incredible footage.

Mark your calendars: the Oregon International Airshow is August 8th, 9th, and 10th.  It's a chance to get up close and personal with some excellent edge-of-your-seat flying.  Here's a link: http://www.oregonairshow.com/