Conceptually, says Ed Harwell, owner of the 1988 cabover Freightliner FLT86 (the 86 refers to the bunk size) you’ll see in the video above, the truck represents “what you might see in a war veteran.” Though Harwell put a great deal of work into repainting and refinishing both interior and exterior, some of the larger scars of the truck’s own war with time he’s left in the small nicks and dents that remain in the old farm truck. When he found it some time ago now, it was in a farmer’s field and missing its driver-side door, as he notes in the video.
The 1988 Freightliner’s first truck show was the PKY championship at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., last month. Harwell didn’t bag any trophies, but he’s “just happy to spread the message” of the service and sacrifice military veterans make, which the truck illustrates.Harwell served in the U.S. Army for more than a decade, and is now a vice president with J.B. Hunt over their veterans employee resource group. He’s also a self-described “truck guy” and guided the restoration of this unit with a purpose to spread a message in tribute to military veterans. More specifically, too, following the approximate year he spent working on the truck to make it what it is today, he’s utilized it as something of a fund-raising vehicle for the Northwest Arkansas Historical Society’s in-progress veterans museum. (Harwell serves on the Society’s board, he says.)
Run through further details in the truck’s story and exterior restoration in the video up top. Further detail on the interior follows, with a full gallery at bottom.
The tastefully appointed interior is decked out in red, white and blue and preserves the original feel of the sleeper paneling.
The red, white and blue U.S. flag colors are carried through the dash front, background and framing panels as well.
