Reader Rigs

Danny Foss' 2019 Peterbilt 389

The rig is powered by a 510-hp Paccar with an 18-speed Eaton. Foss, the owner of Payless Trucking, runs the truck from Bonne Bay to Boston and back.

January 19, 2021

Craig Shannon's 2021 Peterbilt 389

The rig sports a 510-hp Paccar with an 18-speed Eaton. Shannon pulls various types of tank trailers hauling anything from chemicals to cement powder, fuel and, in the winter months, propane.

January 15, 2021

David Pyle's 2007 Peterbilt 379

The rig is powered by a 625-hp Cat C15 with an 18-speed Eaton and 3:55 rears. Custom paint and body work was done by Lone Star Truck and Body in Canyon, Texas. Numerous custom touches were added, along with a frame stretch to 300 inches.

January 12, 2021

Jean-Eudes Bourque's 2018 Peterbilt 389

The rig sports a 510-hp Paccar engine with a 13-speed Eaton and 3:36 rears. Bourque started the customization by lowering the front end with an air ride kit, then installed a 20-inch Valley Chrome bumper with a 12-Gauge Customs lift bumper kit.

January 8, 2021

Michael Bratt’s 2012 Kenworth T660

The rig is powered by a Cummins ISX15 with an Eaton 10-speed. He primarily hauls over-dimensional vehicles and equipment on his 48-foot 2020 Fontaine Revolution step-deck with ramps.

January 5, 2021

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Jason Mooney’s 2020 Peterbilt 567 Heritage company tow truck

The rig is equipped with a Century 1135 rotator that is used for towing, recovery and lifting up to 35 tons. It’s powered by a 605-hp Cummins X15 Performance Series with an Eaton-Fuller 18-speed.

December 22, 2020

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Don Mueller’s 2020 Freightliner Coronado glider

The rig is powered by a 500-hp Detroit 60 Series with a 13-speed Eaton and 3:42 rears. It was built by Floyd’s Truck Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

December 18, 2020

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Trenton Hershey’s 2000 Kenworth W900

The rig, which has around 1.3 million miles, is powered by a 6NZ Cat C15 with an Eaton-Fuller 10-speed and 3:90 rears. The truck mostly pulls a tanker hauling sludge and waste water from city holding tanks to farms.

December 15, 2020

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Jason Rehkopf’s 2019 Kenworth W900 heavy-duty tow truck

The truck features a 35-ton rotator and is powered by a 525-hp Cummins with an 18-speed.

December 11, 2020

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Ryan Mahens’ 2000 International 9400i

The rig is powered by a 12.7-liter Detroit with an Eaton 10-speed. It’s painted White Pearl and sports 8-inch stacks, custom grille, rear light bar, all LED lights, an aluminum fifth wheel, a TriPac APU and more.

December 8, 2020

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Freddo Rivera’s 2015 Kenworth T880 dump

The truck sports a Cummins ISX with a custom turbo, manifold and computer tune. It’s backed by an 18-speed with 4:10 Meritor rears.

December 4, 2020

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Stacy Cox’s 2015 Peterbilt 389 glider

The truck features a 12.7-liter Detroit with a 10-speed Eaton-Fuller, which will soon be upgraded to an 18-speed. The interior of the truck sports a custom white steering wheel, white air knobs and shifter knob to match an old-school shifter.

December 1, 2020

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Emil Baran’s 2020 Freightliner Coronado glider

The Viper Red truck is powered by a 500-hp Detroit 60 Series with an Eaton-13 speed. It sits on a 260-inch wheelbase.

November 27, 2020

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Wayne Jones’ 2016 Peterbilt 389 glider

The rig is powered by a 3406E 2WS Cat with an 18-speed and 3:55 rears. It features a drop visor, under glow lights and plenty of chrome outside with leather and wood accents inside.

November 24, 2020

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Randy Stoll’s 1992 Peterbilt 379

The rig sports a B-model Cat set at 600-hp with an Eaton 18-speed and 3:70 rears. Stoll’s operation, Stoll Trucking, is based in Decatur, Texas, and runs three trucks in Texas and surrounding states.

November 20, 2020

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Luis Vilar’s 2021 Kenworth W990

The rig is powered by a 505-hp Cummins ISX15 with a Fuller RTLO19613 13-speed with 4:56 Meritor rears. The truck’s purple paint scheme is from the 2006 Kenworth color chart.

November 17, 2020

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Surjit Singh’s 2021 Kenworth W900L

The rig sits on a 295-inch wheelbase and is powered by a 565-hp Cummins X15 with an 18-speed and 3:36 rears. Singh, based in Stockton, California, pulls a 53-foot reefer running from California to the Midwest.

November 13, 2020

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Ross Wilson’s 2018 Peterbilt 389

The rig is equipped with a 72-inch sleeper and sits on a 264-inch wheelbase. It’s powered by a 510-hp Paccar MX-13 with an Eaton-Fuller 13-speed.

November 10, 2020

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Analysts optimistic on trucking after chaotic year

2020’s strong second half and prospects for continued high freight demand bode well into 2022, FTR says. However, several factors will affect the timing and intensity of further recovery.

“Wreck on the Mountain Road” is about the death of a trucker on Bent Mountain, just southwest of Roanoke, Virginia.

Fatal wreck remembered in first recorded trucking song

The trucker cap in teacher Amy Watson’s selfie from the day she was tested for COVID-19 later inspired her choice of “long-haulers” to describe COVID survivors with persistent symptoms. “My school’s mascot is a squirrel,” she said, which she finds appropriate, given that her pre-school students, with their short bursts of activity, are “very squirrel-like.”

Trucking’s bit part in the 'COVID long-haulers’ name

Small-fleet owner Jesse McGinness was going for originality with the look of this 2021 Peterbilt 389, spec'ing the black Alcoa rims from the factory. After his maiden voyage in a Class 8 tractor years ago, in a Peterbilt 379, he fell in love with the classic square-hood series. He plans to modify the stacks, the grille and more to all-black finish -- committing sacrilege, says the operator who took him on that first 379 run. McGinness'll maintain plenty in chrome/stainless accents, not to worry. The flattop with lift-axle is powered by the X15 Cummins at 605 hp, with an 18-speed transmission. 'I wanted this truck to be a truck that I thought was cool,' McGinness said, in addition to doing the tough over-dimensional/heavy hauling he'll require of it.

'WTF' stresses service for long-term success

The glider market grew from a few hundred sales a year in 2010 to upwards of 10,000 as recently as 2017. Gliders sported pre-emissions-regs engines -- no exhaust gas recirculation or selective catalytic reduction components and, thus, no need for DEF. With simpler technology and refurbished engines, the products were much cheaper than new trucks with new engines, making them attractive buys for small-business truckers.

Glider kit market hits fatal nosedive with latest emissions regs

Beware: Human smugglers luring truckers along the border

More episodes »

The Business Manual for Owner-Operators

Overdrive editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the 2021 edition of Partners in Business.

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