Raleigh, North Carolina-based Brandon Smith, owner of the Smith Transport Inc. small fleet, did what he set out to do in attending the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show and participating in the PKY Truck Beauty Championship.
With his custom-built 2024 Peterbilt 389, Smith said he hoped he'd put together a "truck that everybody likes and likes to look at and hopefully put some trophies on the shelf this year." The blue and gray Pete ended up stacking a second-place finish in the New Truck -- Bobtail category at the show.
When the truck’s not picking up awards, it works as part of Smith’s small fleet hauling recycled glass, wastewater treatment plant residuals and other freight in dump trailers. Smith started his business in 1999 as a one-truck owner-operator and has grown the outfit through the years. Today, he has about 10 owner-operators leased on with him.
“I try to sell customer service, so [customers] know who they’re getting when [a truck] pulls up,” Smith said. “We’re a tight-knit group of guys. I try to instill in all my guys, operate it just like it’s all your deal, and that’s helped us along the way a lot.”
[Related: Dozens of trucks among winners in 2025 PKY Truck Beauty Championship]
At MATS, Smith showed off the fruits of his labor with the 2024 389, built with 12 Ga. Customs and Jordan Hitchcock with MBH Trucking out of Michigan. Smith ordered and took delivery of the truck, which features a 48-inch flat top sleeper, about a year and a half ago.
“I had in my mind exactly kind of what I wanted,” he said. “I just wanted nothing really over-the-top, just a simple, smooth hot rod.”
The truck’s paint scheme features Peterbilt’s North Sea Gray, coupled with blue accents. Smith has a 1996 Peterbilt 379 day cab that’s a little lighter of a blue than what’s on his new truck, but the blue on both is modeled after Ford’s Grabber blue and Richard Petty blue, which Smith said he’s always been a fan of. The MBH team also added hand-painted pinstriping around the rig.
“It’s kind of always been my thing,” he said. “I knew I wanted to put the blue on the truck, and now this North Sea Gray color … it’s kind of a new trend, new fad. It definitely goes well with the blue, just to kind of give it a clean, simple hot-rod look. Nothing out loud.”
The truck features numerous custom parts, including a 379-style grille shell with JJ brackets that were chromed to match the stainless on the truck. The headlights were shaved on the sides and bottoms. It also features a stainless lift bumper.
The truck came with factory air ride, but Smith swapped it out with 12 Ga. air ride “to get a lot lower.” He also added a 2.5-inch body drop, bus glass windshields, old-school breathers, glass lens watermelon LED lights all the way around, 12 Ga. mirror brackets to drop the mirrors lower and much more.
The rear of the truck features custom, CNC-machined aluminum pieces to go around the lights on the back of the cab to match the rear windows of the sleeper.
The deck plate from 12 Ga. features an aggressive tread pattern, “which makes it useable,” Smith said. “Definitely don’t want to step on it barefooted.”
The rear fenders are from Shift Products.
Inside, Smith went with a button-tuck interior from Spare Time Fab. MBH’s Hitchcock added suede around the dash and the sleeper headliner.
The dash and other interior parts are painted to match the rest of the truck and feature chrome and stainless accents. The interior lights are all watermelon LEDs.
The truck’s powered by a Cummins X15 with an 18-speed and 3.42 full locking rears on a flex suspension with disc brakes all the way around. It also features a “grass-burner exhaust, dummy stacks, which is nice for keeping it clean,” Smith added.
[Related: Bill Warner & Son's 'Hillbilly Hampton' 1988 Peterbilt 362]
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Brandon Smith: I'm Brandon Smith. I'm out of Raleigh, North Carolina. The owner of Smith Transport Incorporated pull dump trailers, haul a lot of recycled glass, grease solids, wastewater treatment plant residual.
This here's my 2024 389 48-inch flat top. Ordered the truck brand new a year and a half ago. Came in December before last. Kind of been working on it, with the project with 12 Gauge Customs and, MBH, Jordan Hitchcock out of Webberville, Michigan. Put the truck together for us. A lot of little, you know, subtle features, details to the truck.
I had in my mind exactly kind of what I wanted. I just wanted, nothing really over the top. Just a simple, smooth hot rod. We went with the 379 style grille shell with the JJ brackets -- had been chromed, so it would match the stainless. Shaved the headlights on the sides and the bottoms so they would mount to those mounts.
Stainless bumper is a lift bumper. Air ride on the front. The truck was ordered with factory air ride. Now it has 12 Gauge Customs air ride on it to get, you know, a lot lower and tucked the tires, 2.5in body drop. The, bus glass windshields, the little window Peterbilt visor, old school breathers, all glass lens, watermelon LED lights, 12 Gauge mirror brackets to drop the mirrors down for the low look.
Everything on the truck is all stainless. Everything except the wheels is about the only thing to polish that we have in aluminum. Painted the tanks trucks equipped with a wet line to run our dump trailers. The flex air suspension, is a 280 wheelbase. Like I said, we wanted to go with a button tuck interior, kind of a Kenworth style. Spare Time Fab did that for us. Jordan Hitchcock had the uppers and all wrapped in suede along with the dash. Lightnin Jacks custom floor mats. Had all everything painted to match on the inside -- blue accents, chrome and stainless. The sleeper is also matching as well. Went with a suede headliner versus the button tuck just to break it up, give it a little something different in the sleeper.
Watermelon LED cab lights on the inside. One of my favorite features about the truck is something you don't normally see. We had these CNC machined out of aluminum to go around the lights just so it would match the back windows of the cab. All the air suspension for the cab and sleeper hidden underneath, lowered tank brackets to widen it out.
Grass burner exhaust, dummy stacks, which is nice for keeping a clean. New custom built deck plate from 12 Gauge Customs, which is their aggressive tread pattern, which makes it usable. Definitely don't want to step on it barefooted as you can see. And custom I-panel, the vent for the exhaust underneath. Shift fenders, flex air suspension and that's pretty much about it with just a little bit of, hand-painted pinstriping just to set it off and, you know, hopefully we put together, you know, a truck that everybody likes and, likes to look at and hopefully put some trophies on the shelf this year.
