Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/723417
60 | Overdrive | September 2016 Custom Rigs J ohn Jaikes is clearly a hard-working independent and a proud show truck exhib- itor. What's not so obvious is that he's a survivor — of repeat bouts with cancer and a wreck with a possibly suicidal four-wheeler. He runs independently as Precision Transportation, based in Nanticoke, Pa., pulling a 2005 Utility reefer with his 1999 Kenworth W900L. It's powered by a Caterpillar with a Bully Dog unit that bumps the horsepower to 600. Like other independents, Jaikes enjoys handling his own schedules and business with "no one telling you what to do," he says. "When you're leased to people, you're basi- cally a glorified company driver." As recently as last year, "I used to have six trucks," he says. Managing a six-truck fleet was complicated enough, and when rates began drop- ping, it didn't work financially. "I'm down to two now," with the one remaining driver running dedicated from Pennsylvania to California, then back to Pennsylvania or New York. Jaikes, 49, was diagnosed with tes- ticular cancer Jan. 24, 2008. Later it was discovered in his lung and breast. Winning and living Independent John Jaikes specializes in survival – and still finds time to hit the show circuit with his custom KW BY MAX HEINE Jaikes' '99 Kenworth W900L features revers- ible vents on the hood. Open to the front, they force air in; open to the rear, they create a vacuum that draws out hot air. The additions aren't the only thing that distinguish- es the hood, which he bought from Jones Performance. "I shaved the headlights," he says. "I lowered the back of the hood." He also shaved the top of the hood and removed its bezel. Jaikes opted for the old-school look when he customized his dash. Brian Bourke Max Heine