Overdrive

58 | Overdrive | April 2018 Custom Rigs lease-purchase with Hog Wild through April 2016 and started back out as the reborn Wild Ride Express. "The lights weren't matching," Jeremy says. "The original color of the truck, purple, was show- ing through on top of the sleeper — the clear coat was peeling. I redid the paint on it for the second time about six months ago." He has kept the check- ered ag on the side of the cab, which was painted onto the truck in 1999 by Truck Customs of Marion, Michigan. The engine, a 1999-mod- el 550-hp Caterpillar 3406E, has 2.9 million miles on it today and has been rebuilt twice — once by Jerry in 2007, the second time by Jeremy in 2015. That pre-2000 en- gine, by the way, is exempt from the electronic logging device mandate. "It had a '99 in it before my dad bought it," Jeremy says. Jeremy also recently had new air cleaners and a new visor, hood, grille and bumper put on the truck after a streak of bad luck in which he blew a steer tire and messed up the hood and front end, got that xed and then last ctober hit a deer. "It's not a show truck, but I take pride in it," he says. "I get a lot of compli- ments on it out on the road, and that makes me want to keep improving it." Jeremy runs a dedicated route for Boar's Head from Michigan to Phoenix every week, usually bringing produce back. He hopes he can pass along his love of trucking, and his '95 Pete, to his 11-year-old stepson. "He loves trucks," Jeremy says. "His dad is a log truck driver, and he's all about trucks. Maybe one day he'll take over this truck." Jeremy Ward has replaced his dash and steering wheel to match the exte- rior of the rig.

• Cover
• FLIPPING THROUGH HISTORY | A small fleet owner’s collection of Overdrives provides a fitting finale for Wendy Parker’s last blog post.
• Business: Arbitration case to go before high court The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit brought by an owner-operator that challenges his fleet’s requirement that disputes be handled via third-party arbitration.
• COVER STORY: Power plays Electric truck makers promise cleaner, more cost-effective tractors. Two years before the first vehicles hit the road, inadequate infrastructure and fueling capacity threaten to dampen the transition.
• Buyers welcome Economic conditions, tax changes, productivity pressures and equipment improvements have spurred a big increase in truck buying by owner-operators and fleets.
• ELD headaches Much has been made about the operational challenges of running under more rigid hours accounting with an electronic log. Meanwhile, truckers are experiencing a wide range of technical malfunctions.
• Severe service Heavy-haul and severe-service news from Volvo, International, Mack, Freightliner and Peterbilt, plus new products from Marmon-Herrington, Kyocera, Firestone and Toyo.
• Inspectors “putting people out of work.”
• Pulse: Make sure the grass really is greener.
• Conversations still evolving over 14-hour reg.
• Shut down by CARB, teacher keeps learning alive.
• Discovering a double- brokered load.
• ELD violations now merit out-of-service.
• Bill would allow younger truckers.
• ELD waiver extended for livestockers.
• Alleged fraud may impact 2,000 truckers.
• OOIDA wants rehearing of apnea case.
• Son earns back dad’s ’95 Pete 379.
• “Rubber Duck” Mack still quacking.
• Reader Rigs: ’16 389 on the “Edge”; a ’13 Coronado named “Betty”; ’15 389 yanks tanks; ’17 Coronado a heavy hauler; father-son duo’s ’04 W900.
• Gear Guide Hino to debut Class 7, 8 models in 2019.
• FLEET NEWS Fleets continue to hike driver pay.
• BETTER HEALTH Preventing and dealing with nausea.