Minnesota-based owner-operator Fritz Littlefield pulls a flatbed leased to CRST with his 2006 Peterbilt 379, detailed in the video above.
Littlefield has been trucking for the better part of 42 years, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He pulled a reefer for the first 30 years of his career, before just more than a decade ago moving to flatbed.
Early in his career, he ran a six-truck fleet. When the economy turned in the early 2000s, he sold his equipment and went to work for his then-father-in-law. Yet it wasn't long before he was back in business for himself. He bought this 2006 Pete and put a team in it to run for him. Today, he holds the reins of the 550-hp Acert Cat-powered rig himself, hauling wherever the money takes him.
When the truck's at work, the theme isn’t quite as apparent as it was parked at the Guilty By Association Truck Show in Joplin, Missouri, last Fall. “We’re not a big show truck,” Littlefield said, “but we like to make our presentation.”
That presentation is something near and dear to many in trucking -- a tribute to military veterans and, specifically, Prisoners of War/Missing in Action veterans.
Littlefield's great-grandfather and grandfather were both POWs during their service, and Littlefield’s three brothers are all military veterans. “This is for them, and all the vets,” he said.
Littlefield’s rig features a number of touches paying tribute to veterans:
The sunshade features names from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a tribute to Vietnam veterans.
Inside the rig, Littlefield’s American pride is on full display with the American flag on a ceiling panel and the back side of the sunshade.
The passenger’s side door panel is a tribute to POW/MIA veterans. On the driver’s side, the Statue of Liberty and American flag fill that spot.
One of the more unique touches that isn’t an obvious tribute is the skulls with lights in the eyes that are all around the truck.
“The skulls are for the POWs and MIAs,” Littlefield said. The red lights represent missing veterans, and when a missing veteran’s remains are found, he pulls a skull off the rig.
[Related: Last of the 359s: '87 Pete a 'Classic 359']
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Fritz Littlefield: My name is Fritz Littlefield. I live in Minnesota. I'm based out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I'm leased to CRST. I've been trucking for approximately 42 years.
It's an '06 379. I do a tribute to POW/MIA. So my grandfather was a POW and my great-grandfather was POW. Three of my brothers are all military vets, and this is for them and all the vets. So what we did is did something different than what all the other military trucks do. I don't have a wrap. And what I have on this truck is I have a copy of the Vietnam Veterans Wall.
As we walk around, everybody you see, all the skulls, that is for our MIAs. Then we come up here, and this is a little tribute we put together in the last month. We have our freedom. We have our glory up here. On the other side, we have the POW/MIA. And the skulls are for the POW and MIAs. Basically, what we did with the red is for the missing. As the missing come, I pull a skull off. This flag is flown all the time. Then we got Old Glory up here on the back. On the other side, we have back and blue for the police. We're not a big show truck, but we like to make our presentation.
