Gerald Lee Wasko founded his G.L. Wasko & Sons trucking business around 1977, and the owner-operator’s first truck was a Detroit V12-powered 1975 White Freightliner Powerliner cabover, “Dirty Dozen.”
After a long search and some wheeling and dealing, followed by a five-year restoration process that was completed in 2011, the truck is now also a champion, being crowned this fall by Overdrive readers as the 2022 Overdrive’s Pride & Polish winner in the Antique category.
Bridgman, Michigan-based Wasko was the second owner of the rig back then. The original owner got cancer and sold it to Wasko, but after being involved in a crash in 1979, Wasko had to sell the truck to keep his business going.
“We took it to Hill Truck Sales [now Truck Centers, Inc.] in South Bend, Indiana,” said Gerald’s son, Gary, who now runs the 12-truck Wasko business. The shop told Gerald that because the truck was a Powerliner, and only around 500 were made between 1971 and 1979, the parts to repair the truck were not readily available and would have to be made, putting the repair time around six to eight months.
With four children at home and the truck being his only source of income, he couldn’t wait for it to be repaired, so he sold it to Hill and bought another truck the next week.
As time went on, Gerald’s children grew up and got into the business, from driving to now running the company.
“Me and my brother and sister run the office,” Gary said. “[The company] just got bigger. As time went on, I rebuilt some tractors, and I told my brother we need that old truck back. It’s unique. There were only so many made.”
