This profile is part of a multi-part series in which Overdrive is publishing stories on the five Pride & Polish Best of Show winners from the 2018 Great American Trucking Show in August.
Kaleb Hammett’s 2017 Peterbilt 389 picked up Best of Show honors in the Working Bobtail category at the Great American Trucking Show Pride & Polish in August. (Photo by Jim Allen/365Trucking.com)Kaleb Hammett’s grandfather, Harry Hammett, started the family’s company, Hammett Excavation, in 1963. Kaleb, 21, started driving this 2017 Peterbilt 389 when it was new and wanted to build it in memory of his grandfather, who passed away in 2014.
The truck is named “Ya Savvy” after a saying from Harry. Kaleb said he’d often ask “Ya savvy?” to make sure you understood what he was telling you.
The rig originally was solid gray with a red frame, so the Hammetts added the red stripes and rebuilt its back end. They built front and rear T-bars, along with fender brackets and hose hangers. Jake Lindamood, a Pride & Polish Best of Show winner in 2017, helped build the truck.
The interior features a solid aluminum floor, and the red dash panels match the frame and striping.
The truck is powered by a Cat C15 6NZ with an 18-speed and 2-speed rear ends — 3:90 on the high side and 5:36 on the low. Despite its show truck quality, the rig hauls over-dimensional equipment such as off-road dumps and excavators.
Hammett’s 389 was originally solid gray with a red frame, but he repainted it with red striping and rebuilt the rear end. The fender brackets, hose hangers and rear T-bar were all built by the Hammetts.
The truck was built in memory of Kaleb’s grandfather, Harry Hammett, who started the family’s company in 1963. Harry passed away in December 2014, and Kaleb has a sticker on the back window commemorating him.
