10-4 Magazine August 2024

12 10-4 Magazine / August 2024 and caution yellow. He kept that truck for several years until the CARB regulations in California made him replace it, and that is when he got the green truck you see here today. Originally purchased by a man named Ivan Cooper Jr. of Ivan Cooper Trucking, he was a well known and liked trucker, who also pulled bottom dumps, in the San Diego and Temecula, CA areas. Ivan bought the 2020 Peterbilt 389 new and put it to work immediately. Oddly enough, or maybe super cool, he numbered the truck “10-4” and that was on the side of the hood and the front bumper in almost the same font we use here at the magazine. Unfor tunately, just a few months later, in an effor t to avoid hitting a car full of innocent motorists, he went off the road and laid it over. Ivan was not seriously hur t, but the truck was wrecked pretty badly. He immediately ordered another truck – a 2021 model – that was exactly like the one he rolled over, but with a slightly longer wheelbase. Sadly, about the time that new one came in, Ivan died at 60 years old from colon cancer in September 2020. Looking for a replacement truck after his Peterbilt 379 aged out in California, Mike and his brother Peter found Ivan’s wrecked truck on the internet being auctioned off. This truck was kind of special, because it was one of the few 2-axle trucks that Peterbilt fitted with a big 605-hp Cummins X15. It was also equipped with an 18-speed AutoShift transmission, and all the bells and whistles. Mike and his brother put in a bid, but they did not get the truck. Instead, it went to another bidder in Southern California. However, a few months later, it came up for bid again, and this time, they got it! In true Viviano fashion, Mike bought a wrecked truck, just like his dad used to do, and then fixed it all up. The truck, which only had 18,000 miles on it, was first delivered in September 2021 to Mike’s friend Will Millward, where he replaced the damaged rear end housing, the oil pan, and a few other things, and then took it to a frame shop where the twisted rails were straightened and the crossmembers were replaced. It took them about a month to get the chassis perfect, and then it went back to Will’s shop for a few more things. After that, it was delivered to Felipe in Mike’s shop to be completed. It took a year to finish the project, and the truck was finally put into service in November 2022. Wanting to honor Ivan and his memory, Mike kept the truck green, but he did modify the color a bit, and he did have Felipe paint the fenders, roof, and frame metallic gray. The 2020 Peterbilt 389, as mentioned before, has a 605-hp Cummins X15, an 18-speed automatic (which Mike loves), a 205” wheelbase, and sits on low pro tires. Featuring lime green and orange stripes and accents, the truck has an air-ride