Overdrive

Custom Rigs READER Rigs May 2018 | Overdrive | 47 Truck Frames 866-851-6478 Toll free: www.pgadams.com Guaranteed accuracy Extreme lengths Easy-bolt frames with holes Easy-bolt www.pgadams.com Crossmembers 24 hour turnaround 'Limelight' 379 Barbara Odom uses her 2004 Peterbilt 379 nicknamed "Limelight" to haul oils, hazmat and other liquids for Quality Carriers. The truck is powered by a 550-hp Cat, a 13-speed Eaton and 3.55 rears. Additions include a drop visor and custom rear fenders. The paint job was done by DB Kustom Trucks of Antioch, Illinois. Voodoo queen James Cullins owns this 2015 Peterbilt 389 Fitzgerald glider and is leased to Diamond S Trucking of Catoosa, Louisiana, hauling mostly calcium chloride. The truck is nick- named after New Orleans voodoo queen "Marie Laveau" because Cullins says it has a curse on it, having been hit three times. It is powered by a 600-hp Detroit, a 13-speed and 3.55 rears. The truck features a Talladega Fiberglass visor, fend- ers and panels, and Cullins and his son did all the work, including the paint job. He plans to stretch the truck from its 275-inch wheelbase to 300 inches. 'Bama blue Joey Parker Trucking of Addison, Alabama, owns this 2011 Kenworth that is used to haul chicken in a reefer trailer. The truck is powered by a 475-hp Cat, an 18-speed Eaton-Fuller and 3.55 rears. West Virginia flatbedder Eric Thompson, owner of Eric Thompson Trucking, drives this 2015 Peterbilt 389 and 48-foot 2017 Mac flatbed out of his hometown of Leon, West Virginia. The truck is powered by a 525-hp Cummins N14 and a 13-speed. Upgrades include 8-inch stacks and stainless-steel half-fenders.

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• WHAT IS YOUR TIME WORTH? Landstar-leased Gary Buchs says you need to know the answer to that question to thrive in this business.
• Business: Tips for better rates Small-fleet-owner-turned-owner-operator-coach Kevin Rutherford presented three seminars at the Mid-America Trucking Show on running a more profitable small trucking business.
• COVER STORY: ‘World traveler’ Globetrotting and working diverse trucking jobs have shaped the 2017 Owner-Operator of the Year into a man of many experiences. But once a month, there’s no place like home for Phil Keith.
• Diversions: More music to truck by Past Overdrive Trucker Talent Search-winning singer-songwriter Jason Lee Wilson brings down the house at MATS; Mary Gauthier’s “Rifles & Rosary Beads” features songs written with military vets.
• How to extend drain intervals With engine oil and filter changes running upward of $300 at some shops, extending drain intervals can save hundreds of dollars a year and thousands over the life of your truck.
• Trailer aero savings can be substantial The responsibility of improving trailer drag has fallen largely on accessories such as skirts, tails and fairings. Such add-ons promise potential fuel savings.
• Truckers reprise ELD protest in D.C.
• Pulse: Self-driving’s “mushy middle.”
• Blowing the whistle on shippers and receivers.
• Load boards “a gamble” for old-school broker.
• Readers more open to gun restrictions.
• ELD violations added to CSA.
• Bill would allow drivers to pause 14-hour clock.
• FMCSA certain driver info secure after outage.
• SuperFan wins Peterbilt’s one millionth truck.
• After error, Cat Acert payments to be reissued.
• Owner-operator couple gets second chance with 379.
• George Parker’s retooled Coronado has a rat on back.
• $25K in prizes up for grabs at SuperRigs.
• Small fleet owner picks up first Bandit Series win.
• Reader Rigs: ’04 379 in the “Limelight”; ’15 389 flatbedder; ’Bama blue ’11 KW; ’15 389 a “voodoo queen.”
• EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT Mid-America Trucking Show products.
• GEAR GUIDE Floor mats, tires, LEDs, more.
• FLEET NEWS Carriers still raising driver pay.
• BETTER HEALTH On-the-road lifestyle can put truckers at risk for arthritis.