10-4 Magazine April 2024

Cover Feature: By Colin Kund and then parking them when finished,” he went on to explain. “When the time finally came for me to drive with my dad in the passenger seat, I star ted in our 1989 single stack Peterbilt 379, which was powered by a 425 CAT, backed by a 10-speed transmission,” said Tim. After earning his CDL at 18 years old, Tim ran the Peterbilt for a few years. Tim then hopped into a Kenwor th W900B that his dad had purchased. “With only 20,000 miles on the truck when purchased, it was good and solid, but I really did not care for it. Since I am taller, the legroom was not ideal, and the Cummins was underwhelming, as far as power,” Tim told me. During this time period, Tim would go to school for half a day and work a half day at the grain company. He continued to run the W900B for a few years until a local business approached Ron about selling it. Without hesitation, Tim told his dad to let it go. Around this time, Tim had found the truck gracing these pages – a 2003 Peterbilt 379 Extended Hood with a 6NZ CAT, a 13-speed, and sitting on a low air leaf suspension. The truck had been spec’d as seen in these photos, but the buyer backed out. On the Saturday before Mother’s Day in 2003, Tim and his father drove to The Pete Store in Baltimore, MD and purchased the truck. “It just so happens that there is a Make-A-Wish truck convoy on Mother’s Day in Lancaster, so naturally, with the help of my brother, we shined it up for the parade the following day!” Side note: Tim’s brother Matt pilots a sweet red Peterbilt 389 for our friends at Lanita Specialized in Mount Aetna, PA. Tim says his brother Matt was also a big influence in getting him into trucks and the customization aspect. “Our dad never really cared for looks, so long as the truck got the job done.” Their father always reminded the boys, “Chrome won’t get ya home!” Tim remembers when they got their first long hood 1997 Peterbilt 379 and how Matt was explaining the differences between shor t hoods and long hoods. In March 1976, Tim Keener’s parents, Ron and Fern Keener, took out a loan for $10,000 to star t a business that would eventually be Ronald S. Keener Grain, based in Mount Joy, PA. The company star ted with a single axle GMC 9500 and two trailers. Trucking runs in the Keener family – Tim’s grandfather drove for many years, and five of his eight uncles either drove or still drive to this day. Tim (41), who owns the truck on this month’s cover, and his brother Matt are the third generation of truck drivers within the family, along with six of their cousins, making this operation a true family affair. The GMC 9500 was the backbone of the transpor tation side of the company, and Ron went on to stretch it and add another axle to allow the truck to handle the weight of the trailers and products it would be transpor ting. Ron and Fern hauled countless loads of hay and straw with this setup all over Pennsylvania, with occasional trips to Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Ron eventually added a dump trailer to his fleet which expanded his commodity hauling to include ear corn and grain. In 1982 (Tim’s bir th year), Ron ordered his first brand new Timpte hopper bottom trailer from MH Eby located in Blue Ball, PA (which was only a few miles from the locations we shot the truck). This Timpte was only the second hopper bottom that Eby ever sold! David City, Nebraska is where the Timpte factory was located, so Ron made the trek out to pick up his new trailer, once the build was finished. In 1983, Ron and Fern ordered their first Peterbilt – a 1983 Peterbilt 359 with a Cummins Big Cam 400, a 10-speed, and a single stack. Tim recalls many rides he took in that truck with his father, but sadly it was rolled over by a company employee before Tim could have the chance to drive it. Around the same time Tim was born, the Keener’s purchased land off Route 283 in Mount Joy, PA (where the business is located) and began building the grain elevator. This lasted them up until about ten or so years ago when they expanded by purchasing proper ty across the street. Now, they have the capacity to store between 700K and 800K bushels of grain in their silos! The land acquisition also allowed the family to build a shop where their fleet of six Peterbilt trucks and ten trailers are stored. Since trucking is a huge par t of agriculture, it was only a matter of time before Tim found himself driving one. When you grow up around trucks, it’s bound to happen! “I don’t exactly recall when I began driving, but I think it was around the age of 12. Since I was always tall, reaching the pedals was not an issue,” explained Tim. “I wasn’t one for shifting gears, but I was content with moving trucks around the yard, pulling them on the scale to weigh commodities, 10 10-4 Magazine / April 2024 A FAMILY AFFAIR