Jacob Phillips' 2016 Peterbilt 389, a former rough-and-tumble log truck dressed up for OTR steel

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Updated Jun 26, 2022

Owner-operator Jacob Phillips' Gainesville, Georgia-based business hauling steel trusses, mostly, on a step deck is driven on the chassis of this MX13 Paccar-powered 2016 Peterbilt 389 Phillips and his father-in-law took on as a project after locating the dented and dinged-up rig after a former life hauling logs.

Jacob Phillips 2016 389, view from passenger side rearPhillips set to work replacing bright parts, including 8-inch stacks, breathers, visor, bumper, Pride & Class front fenders and more, adding Hogebuilt full fenders along with T-bars ahead of and behind the tandems.

Custom cowhide flooring in Jacob Phillips' 389The rig got a full interior rework, too, from new dash panels painted to match the exterior, and which you can see in the video, to gauge surrounds and switches -- just about every shiny piece of chrome Phillips could find. The interior work was capped off with a unique, custom cowhide floor, shown here.

The tractor took its maiden voyage as the chariot that took Phillips and his now wife away from their wedding party at its nadir.

Jacob Phillips and his 2016 Peterbilt 389Hear plenty more from Jacob Phillips about the truck and his steel-hauling operation in the video up top.After a prior career with the local power company, Phillips has been full-time in the Pete since September of last year. He's got life by the horns, he said, "and I'm very thankful for it."

I caught up with owner-operator Phillips at the first annual Large Cars & Guitars truck show in Kodak Tennessee, in early May this year. Catch further rigs from the event via the following links:  

**Darrell Estes' pair of custom Peterbilt 359s -- a 1984 and '87, both with rich histories
**Custom 2021 Peterbilt 'home away from home' with a 168-inch ARI big bunk
**In memory of John Visconti III: The custom 2020 Pete 389 glider of Casey Wendling
**'Ribbon Runner' cancer-awareness and tribute 1998 Peterbilt 379 dump making waves
**Meet the Lewis Transfer custom 2007 Peterbilt 379, with operator Andrew Reed