Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/925196
34 | Overdrive | January 2018 'MONEY-MAKING MOTOR HOME' system installed, he says. Truckers Greg and Danelle Swafford, based in Alabama and leased to Mercer, were preparing to customize a sleeper for a new truck but changed their minds when they found a 2016 Western Star 5700 with a 132-inch ARI sleeper already installed. "There are a couple things I may have done differently," Greg Swafford says, "but we're very happy with this truck." The Swaffords' truck, which includes some extras such as an extra water tank, was $268,000 when they bought it new last year. ARI's Legacy II sleepers are the company's floorplan mod- els, which can be customized. These are typically a better value, Miller says, because all of the engineering is complete and the plant builds them more efficiently than a fully customized unit. Dan and Joy Kelly, leased to Landstar and based in Minnesota, own a 2013 Volvo with a 144-inch ARI sleeper. "You pick out your flooring, walls, fabric, cushions, wood for cupboards, everything – just like designing your home," Joy says. "We ordered the truck from the factory with a 302-inch wheelbase. They order a day cab, then ARI does the extra work." Their truck cost $235,000 when they purchased it in 2013. The sleeper includes a sink, two-burner stove, big refrigerator with a separate freezer, booth-style table, fold- up bed, shower, toilet, 32-inch flat-screen TV and more. It's truly a home on wheels because they sold their house. "It's our money-making motor home," Joy says. When they visit their hometown a few times a year, they stay with Dan's mother. An Idaho company is taking the custom sleeper idea to the next level by turning tractors into RVs. Powerhouse Coach is a small operation that started 20 years ago when owner Doug Tolbert, who has a towing and trucking background, converted his first rig into an RV. "I bought the truck from my dad and rebuilt it," he says. "When people saw it, they wanted one, and we've been building them for 20 years now." All of Powerhouse Coach's trucks are built custom to order from the ground up. Tolbert says the trucks feature all the amenities of a high-end RV. Anything that can be put in an RV, he says, can be put on a truck. Powerhouse Coach's typical creations come at a hefty price, though, and with the size of the trucks, they generally are only for recreational pur- poses. Tolbert says his trucks start out around $250,000 and can range to $900,000 or more. Because Class 8 trucks are built to spend the majority of their time driving on the highway rather than sitting in a campground, Powerhouse's rigs are safer than a standard RV, Tolbert says. "If you've ever seen a crash with an RV, you know it looks very scary and unsafe," he says. The trucks take around six to nine months to build, sometimes up to a year, Tolbert says. "It's me and three guys. We build about one-and-a-half rigs a year." RECREATIONAL TRUCKING Powerhouse Coach transforms a Class 8 tractor into an RV. The high-end rigs take a minimum of six months to build. Greg and Danelle Swafford's sleeper has a back door that opens onto the catwalk. The shower is near the cab. The Alabama- based couple hauls military equipment.