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Source: Tulsa World, Okla.self storageJan. 02--When Ed Eckert pulls up to the line, the roar of the crowd is deafening.Then he opens the throttle of his monster truck Full Boar."As I pull up to the line, I'm always looking up into the crowd. It's awesome. The adrenaline rush people give you," Eckert said. "At throttle, you can't hear anything. I can see the faces of people pointing and smiling."Eckert and others will climb into their towering trucks to tear through the dirt, over ramps and cars and defy gravity as they fly through the air at the BOK Center on Saturday and Sunday. Monster Jam events on Saturday start at 7:30 p.m. and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets for both days are available at bokcenter.com, at the BOK Center box office or by phone at 866-7-BOK-CTR.Drivers and trucks scheduled to appear at this weekend's Monster Jam include Eckert driving Full Boar, Mike Vaters and Black Stallion, Overkill Evolution driven by Mike Vaters Jr., Incinerator driven by Ryan Rice, War Wagon driven by Andy Hoffman and McGruff driven by Rod Wood.For Eckert, it's the best job in the world.A mechanic by trade, Eckert was a big fan of monster trucks for years before he ever got in one."A friend of a friend had one and let me drive it; not over cars, just in the field," Eckert said. "I got that itch. When I hopped in the seat, I had to have one."Being a mechanic, he had the knowledge and skill to get one, so he did what most monster truck drivers do: built his own.Yes, it's just about as hard as it sounds. At least for the uninitiated."We start from scratch, buy some steel and start fabricating into a truck," he said.OK, truck is finished. But how do you drive the thing? That takes what Eckert and others call "feet time.""There's so much going on in the cab of the truck," Eckert said. "You're shifting the clutch, you're working the gas with one foot, the brake with the other, one hand is on the steering wheel and the other is on a control that controls your back steering. T迷利倉ere's a lot."All that is happening while this gigantic truck speeds over ramps and cars, shooting dirt everywhere. The 1,600-horsepower engine jolts to release that power and roars through the air. Controlling all of that takes practice, getting in some good "feet time."And there's really just one good way to get that practice -- by driving often.Eckert said the first time he ever jumped over cars in a monster truck, the feeling from the rush of adrenaline was almost overwhelming. He jumped and yelled at his friend asking how he did."He said I was probably a foot off the cars," Eckert said. "I felt like I was six, 10 feet high."He gets a lot more than one foot off the cars these days.And even though he's been a driver now for about 13 years, it's still a bit scary."I get nervous every time I go," he said.But driver safety is of the upmost importance. A special seat is fitted in the truck, and Eckert is strapped in tight. The helmet he uses is also attached to the seat."You physically make yourself part of that truck," Eckert said. "You're letting the shocks do the work, you're letting the tires do the work."And they'll do plenty of work this weekend in Tulsa. Eckert's last time in town for Monster Jam was a bit of a mess: He was here during the massive snowstorm in 2011.This weekend looks clear. And Eckert, who describes himself as a big kid, knows what the crowd wants to see and how to deliver."Me being a fan, I know what I like to see," Eckert said. "I'm going to do it, too."Jerry Wofford 918-581-8346jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.comMonster JamWhen: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. SundayWhere: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave.Tickets: $27, $32 or $37. Ticket prices on all levels increases by $2 the day of the show. Tickets available at bokcenter.com, at the BOK Center box office or by phone at 866-7-BOK-CTRCopyright: ___ (c)2014 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉