In this week's video in Overdrive's Custom Rigs series, catch a talk-and-walk around owner-operator Lucas Zach's sharp 2017 Peterbilt 389, paired with a matching 2025 Timpte hopper he'd pulled about a year when we caught up with him at the May Crossroads Truck Meet in California, Missouri.
The full combo's been about a two-year work in progress, though, with modifications starting shortly after Zach's purchase of what was essentially a stock 2017 389.
He replaced factory grille and fuel tanks, stacks, and more along the way to what was perhaps the biggest modification of the unit.
As with Zach's friend and colleague Harlan Martin's 2023 389 featured here on Overdrive a few weeks back, the 2017 was originally Cummins ISX-powered, and "I drove it like that" as modifications began, Zach said. Then he "came across a deal on this Cat motor."
He bought the older-model 3406e. "We did a few things to it," he said, and as owner-operator Martin had done, then "pulled the Cummins out and swapped this Cat in there. Everything went real smooth."
He credits Martin's family's Little Brothers Transport fleet for help and inspiration on the build. If not for them, "this truck wouldn't be at all what it is right now." Likewise: Lee Service and Repair in Colby, Wisconsin, he said, who delivered plenty in the way of "some guys with a lot of knowledge who knew what they were doing. ... We got everything ready and had it done in just a couple days" on the motor swap.
Spare Time Fab supplied the black-and-blue button tuck and other interior materials owner-operator Zach (pictured) had somewhat recently installed as of early May at Crossroads. Catch full detail of the interior work in the video up top.
Owner-operator Zach was 25 years young when we talked in May, running with authority as Little Z Transport. He followed his father's Tim Zach Trucking into business, working for Tim as a company driver to start, then purchasing a 379 he leased on. Now with authority, he still hauls in his father's freight network, with local and regional farm deliveries, among other freight.
He spec'd the paint on the Timpte hopper to match the silver of the 389, then had an associate "wrap it back home to match the paint line" of the contrasting color, he said.
It's tough work keeping his custom unit clean when he's regularly dealing with dust, gravel and tight farm driveways with his hopper pickups and deliveries, which he emphasized in this July edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast. Catch more views of the unit's details in the video. And hear more from Zach as well as Harlan Martin, who also showed at Crossroads, in that podcast, embedded below.
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Lucas Zach: I'm 25 years old. I work for my dad, Tim Zach Trucking. He kind of started his hopper business back in mid-90s, early 90s. I drove one of his trucks for a couple of years, and then I had bought my own 379, and then I leased on to him. And then it just grew and I wanted my own business.
And so I went that route and I still pull his freight around and it works out great. You know, a lot of our stuff is local, a lot of farm deliveries, local mills. Hard to keep something nice if you're in the hopper world -- there's dust, gravel, mud, farms, small driveways, stuff like that.
So I bought this truck two years ago. It's a 2017 389. Just kind of bought it pretty basic, then did my finishing touches on it and on the trailer. It's a 2025 Timpte hopper, about a year old. I had it paint-matched to the silver of the truck, and then I had someone wrap it back home to match the paint line.
So the paint and the stripe and everything was all the same color. I mean, I had factory grille, some different fuel tanks, real sharp fuel tanks, the DEF tank under there, passenger side had an APU tucked underneath the cab and all that. It had factory stacks on it, no visor -- just a pretty basic truck.
It was more or less a clean slate because I knew what I wanted to do to it. I had an idea in my head to match the trailer someday, and it just worked out. It took a little bit of time. I started building it probably two years ago, did the interior and a bunch of other little things that tied everything together real nice.
So I have holes around in here. Speakers are all Infinity speakers, and I have two 12-inch subs under the bunk. Still kept the SmartNav and the factory radio. I just incorporated everything around the factory surround. I like the way it looks — I didn’t want to change it up because the screen is still really nice to have in here.
All the black leather, blue button-tuck came from Spare Time Fab. Everything came through them. I tore everything out, dyed all the headliner stuff that was originally tan, the curtains, sleeper boot I got from Spare Time Fab, their light brackets -- just about everything in here is pretty much Spare Time Fab.
This was a factory Cummins. I drove it like that for about two years, then came across a deal on this Cat motor. I picked it up, we did a few things to it, and we pulled the Cummins out and swapped this Cat in there. Everything went real smooth.
I had a good bit of help from some guys with a lot of knowledge who knew what they were doing — Lee Service & Repair in Colby, Wisconsin. We got everything ready and had it done in just a couple days, and it worked out pretty good.
If it wasn’t for Little Brothers Transport, this truck wouldn’t be at all what it is right now. The resources they have, the knowledge, all the guys at the shop — they helped me out. They’re phenomenal people and definitely got me to where I am right now.
