If you’re ever in the market for a long-lasting, hard-working journalist, get yourself a Lockwood; they’ll last a lifetime and are practically maintenance free.

We first got our Lockwood 25 years ago. It had a few miles on it, but was in great working condition.

There were some big jobs we needed the Lockwood for, namely, starting this magazine. And while the Lockwood completed all the jobs that needed to get done over the years, it needed a tune-up.

As you may or may not know, Rolf Lockwood has been experiencing a few back-related health issues. Twenty-five- plus years hunched over keyboards will do that to you.

Last week, we finally brought the old reliable journalist into the shop for some well-needed maintenance — which is to say that he had an operation.

By all accounts, Rolf is doing fine and on the mend. First-time quality results are exceeding 98 percent, to steal a line from a certain OEM.

As Rolf recovers over the next two weeks, and the Today’s Trucking team takes some time to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, we will not be sending out Rolf’s Product Watch, nor the Lockwood Report.

We’ll see you in the 2013 with Rolf’s Best Products of 2012, Part 1.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!