Kokomo, Indiana-based independent owner-operator John Treadway has been trucking since 1990, when he bought a 1985 Kenworth Liberty Edition cabover and jumped into business with both feet right out of the gate.
Treadway said his brother is a truck driver as well, and the Kokomo area “was full of truck drivers that I always looked up to, and thought that’d be a cool thing to do. Here we are.”
Through the years, Treadway's pulled just about any kind of trailer you can think of. He started out moving grain in hopper bottoms and has, at one time or another, also pulled step decks, double drops, oversize equipment, vans and others. Today he's running reefer equipment hauling flowers for a greenhouse out of nearby Westfield, Indiana.
He runs two trucks as part of his T-Way Rose Transport business -- one he drives in the winter and one for the summer months. The winter truck is a 2006 Peterbilt 379. The summer truck, featured here in the video up top, is a custom 1998 Peterbilt 379, "Teal Appeal." Treadway showed the truck in the PKY Truck Beauty Championship at the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show.
[Related: Dozens of trucks among winners in 2025 PKY Truck Beauty Championship]
Treadway jumps in to haul with "Teal Appeal" between April and December, depending on the weather. He hasn't run it on winter-treated roads since its 2021 rebuild.
Treadway purchased the ’98 Pete in 2016. At the time “it was rough,” he said, having been repainted before he got it “in a barn one night by some guys with some rattle cans, maybe. It was a little rough. The clear was coming off.”
By 2021 he'd saved enough to rebuild it “and went for it,” he said. He took the truck to Kenworth of Indianapolis, who “totally tore it down for me and painted it. The stripes took them a little while, the design on the back of the bunk."
Treadway modeled the colors and scheme in some ways to be an exact match to his 2017 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic motorcycle in Harley’s Frosted Teal with white pearl, along with gray stripes. Photo courtesy of John Treadway
“The color scheme is dead on,” he said.
As part of the build process, he had the shop add an American Eagle bumper, front fenders from Bad Ass Custom Truck Parts, Hogebuilt stainless full fenders over the rear axles, 13’2” tall, 8-inch Lincoln Chrome stacks, a 14-inch drop visor, an aluminum fifth wheel and plenty more in the way of upgrades.
The truck's nickname is painted across the rear, coupled with custom light bars.
Inside the cab, Daniel and Sons Upholstery in Kokomo, made the interior “a mirror image of the exterior,” he said.
“I loved the outside of the truck so much, I wanted to do the inside to look the same,” he added. “If anybody looks in there, the stripes are all, everything’s inside the truck.”
The truck is powered by the original 550-hp 3406e Cat with a 13-speed and 3.90 rears. It's got about 1.4 million miles on it, the engine just 50,000 miles or so since it got a rebuild.
[Related: Owner-operator Troy Bolin's V8 Cat 3408-powered 1979 Peterbilt 359]
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John Treadway: John Treadway. I'm based out of Kokomo, Indiana. Name of my business is Tway Rose Transport. I started trucking about 1990, bought my first truck, 1985 Liberty Limited Edition Cab over. I've done a little everything. We started off hauled, grain hopper bottoms, hauled, step decks, double drops, oversize equipment, van trailers, reefer trailers. I currently have a reefer trailers and I haul flowers for a greenhouse out of Westfield, Indiana. I own two trucks, but I'm the only driver. This is my summer truck. I drive from about April 1st to December 1st, and it's never been in salt since I've redid it. I have oh 6 3 79, Pete that I drive 'em the other butts.
This is my beauty right here. It's my baby. I purchased it in 2016, redid it in 2021 Kenworth of Indianapolis. The interior was done by Daniel and Sons out of Colo, Indiana, wrapped cadaver from by 2017 Ultra Classic Harley. Everybody calls it blue, but it's a frosted teal and a white with pearl in it. The color scheme was dead on, so that inspired me. Wanted, loved it outside the truck so much. I wanted to do the inside to look the same, so if anybody looks in there, the stripes are all, everything's inside the truck, so I get to absorb all the attention that outside people do. It was rough. It had been repainted before I'd got it, and maybe in a barn one night. Some guys with some rattle cans, maybe it was a little rough, clear was coming off. Just finally saved up enough and went for it.
Kenworth had it for about five months. They totally tore it down for me and painted it the stripes. Took 'em a little while to design on the back of the bunk and then put everything back together. We added a few things, new bumper and some hodge built fenders and leaking pipes and well, first of all, we have the fenders here. These are from Badass Fenders and Seymour Indiana. Like I said, the eagle bumper, that's not what they come with. We got the 14 inch drop visor on it, 13 two tall with my Lincoln eight inch pipes. The back deck, we just redid the patio deck on it and a aluminum fifth wheel plate that's on it. They don't come that way. We've got a 34 0 6 E Caterpillar five 50 with a 13 speed, three 90 rear ends. I've got about 1.4 million on it. I rebuild it about 50,000 miles ago.
