Tag: MATS

Built for the hammer lane: Retired boat hauler's one-of-a-kind Frankenstein 'One Piece at a Time'

From a 1953 Ford C-500 base, Wayne Trent built his boat-haul truck out of parts from other trucks, cars, vans -- even boats. See the video here for a detailed look at the various parts and pieces that brought the whole rig together.

July 17, 2025

Rare 1981 'Midnight Eagle Brougham' International cabover fully restored

According to Dusty Veldkamp, who helped rebuild the rig from the frame up, the truck as spec'd from the factory was one of only five just like it.

July 10, 2025

Oversize-haul owner-op's 'clean and simple' 2020 Peterbilt 389

Texas-based Thomas Milstead, leased to SPB Trucking, hauls mostly high and wide platform freight with his custom 2020 Peterbilt 389. He bought the truck new in 2019.

July 3, 2025

Rare 190-inch Double Eagle sleeper rides on custom '96 International

Pennsylvania-based Jesse Shirey found the truck three years ago sitting by a barn surrounded by weeds. With his wife and father, Shirey rebuilt the rig from the ground up, inside and out.

June 19, 2025

Owner-operator John Treadway's 'Teal Appeal' 1998 Peterbilt 379

Treadway's rig is painted in Harley Davidson's Frosted Teal color to match his 2017 Harley Ultra Classic. He showed the truck at MATS this past March in Louisville, Kentucky.

June 5, 2025

Partners in Business

Fickle freight on spot load boards can't build the customer base for you

Too many truckers rely solely on big broker boards as a primary source for freight, leaving owners at the mercy of fast spot market fluctuations. It can to lead to short-term thinking and inconsistent revenue.

June 4, 2025

Overdrive Radio

Knowing what 'might' work isn't enough: How four owner-ops learn from biz failures

The owner-operator brain trust that is the Trucking Solutions Group lent us a window into their decades of combined experience at MATS in a panel discussion called "Failing! ... to Succeed," acknowledging there's a whole heck of a lot all of us learn from our own, and others', failures.

June 2, 2025

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Overdrive Radio

Honoring a father's legacy with Tim Eacret of EZ Pete Interiors

There are some dads who, in not giving their children everything they’d like materially, wind up giving them something of far greater value. That describes the father of Tim Eacret, proprietor of truck-upholstery specialist EZ Pete Interiors, who honors his dad's legacy in this week's Overdrive Radio.

May 26, 2025

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'Showoff' 1979 Peterbilt 359 pull truck tuned up to 1,250 hp

Owner Greg Graham competes in truck pulls with the high-powered unit, which has been customized as a rolling tribute to his daughter's late mother, who passed away after battling cancer in 2012.

May 22, 2025

'Pretty good life' for Gary Jones' short-hood '79 Peterbilt 359

Truck show mainstay Gary Jones, owner of SPB Trucking, showed off his latest build at MATS 2025 -- a 1979 Peterbilt 359 day cab with just 630K original miles, and a rare sight among Jones' trucks, which often sport custom big bunks.

May 15, 2025

Every smart mod to Trucker of the Year's 4M-mile 1995 KW T600

With 2024 Trucker of the Year Alan Kitzhaber's long career coming to a close and his long-running T600 up for sale, this video look at the rig's modifications show his prioritization of efficiency, increased comfort and durability. Also: His custom dashcam solution, dating back to 2013.

May 8, 2025

Up close with Tony Justice's newly-custom Bennett 2006 'Purgatory' Peterbilt 379

Overdrive's 2024 Trucker of the Year Alan Kitzhaber caught up with trucker and country singer-songwriter Tony Justice at MATS to talk about this recently-customized 2006 Peterbilt 379, a big part of Justice's trucking career.

May 1, 2025

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