Trucking couple honors family’s military history

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Updated Nov 17, 2017
“The General” is powered by a 550-hp Cummins ISX and Eaton 18-speed. The Kenworth Apache paint scheme is custom and was done by Thunder Grafix of Joplin, Missouri, to honor past, present and future military members.“The General” is powered by a 550-hp Cummins ISX and Eaton 18-speed. The Kenworth Apache paint scheme is custom and was done by Thunder Grafix of Joplin, Missouri, to honor past, present and future military members.

Carol Schneider fell in love with trucking as a child, being the daughter of a small fleet owner with 13 trucks.

Carol and Phillip Schneider’s 2017 Kenworth W900 Icon is named “The General” to honor Schneider’s family military history.Carol and Phillip Schneider’s 2017 Kenworth W900 Icon is named “The General” to honor Schneider’s family military history.

“I used to get in his dump truck and try to hide so I could go with him instead of school,” Schneider says.

She’s now been driving for almost three decades. She spent her first 11 years hauling steel and aluminum, but after that job took a physical toll, she started delivering produce with her husband, Phillip.

Today, the owner-operators from Joplin, Missouri, are leased to Fleenor Brothers and haul commercial-grade explosives and other hazmat products for the mining and construction industries. They run 48 states and all provinces of Canada and Mexico.

They drive a 2017 Kenworth W900 Icon custom-painted in viper red with jagged black stripes on the sides. Some custom work includes Hogebuilt extra-long half fenders, clear turn signals, stainless-steel trim for the sleeper windows and interior chrome dash accessories.

Carol Schneider’s poodle is dyed to match the truck.Carol Schneider’s poodle is dyed to match the truck.

Their dog, Star, a 55-pound standard poodle, has fur dyed to match the truck, which is named “The General.” Schneider says the name is “out of respect for all military personnel and with the pride of our personal family military history dating as far back as World War I.”

For Schneider, driving has meant seeing places change and making new acquaintances.

“My favorite part is meeting the people – you meet someone new every day,” she says. “We’ve watched cities go from tumbleweeds to thriving. We’ve watched the whole border be rebuilt, and after 29 years, I still see something new every day, and I still learn something new every day.”

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