Clint’s Creations: By Clint Moore and planted roots in Kansas. In 2015, Jimmy’s parents moved to the Emporia area, as well, because when they would come to visit Jimmy, they really liked the atmosphere. During harvest, Jimmy would run combines, and then in the winter, he would drive one of Dan’s trucks. About two years ago, Dan and Stephanie retired from the harvesting gig, but they still had a few trucks, so Jimmy drove one for them. A year ago, just trying to get his foot in the door, Jimmy bought his first truck – a 2007 Mack. He thought an older used truck would be the best for him, but he quickly learned what an old timer once told him was true, and that is, “You can make payments or repairs, but you can’t make both.” And he was spending a lot trying to keep that Mack going! After a year of trucking in the Mack, Jimmy decided to step up to a lower mileage truck and gave me a call. We had just got some 567s in stock, so he came to look, but before I could even bring him out the keys, he was eyeing another truck on the lot – a 589 I had just ordered with a new green color I had Axalta mix up, and it just grabbed Jimmy’s attention. Misty liked the color, too, so they decided to go with a brand-new truck. Jimmy figured if he really liked the equipment he was driving, that would help get him through the bad days, because we all know trucking is not all sunshine and roses. The truck is a 2026 Peterbilt 589 with a 44” sleeper, a 565-hp Cummins X-15, an 18-speed, disc brakes all around, and riding on low air with This month’s truck was ordered for stock on our lot, and I am super happy that the Norton Family gave it a good home. Jimmy Norton (40) and his wife Misty have been married for just two years, and they have four children from previous marriages – Addisyn (14), Jaxsyn (11), Ryker (8), and Dexsyn (5). Running under JM Norton Trucking, LLC out of Emporia, KS, this is Jimmy’s first brand-new truck, and he couldn’t be more excited about this new chapter in his life. The youngest of five kids, Jimmy is the only boy of Richard and Agnes Norton. His dad was a trucker until Jimmy was six months old, but he gave it up to work locally in construction, and also started a salvage yard and shop, so he could be home more. Jimmy said he caught the trucking bug at an early age when one of his dad’s friends, who had an old 1960 Kenworth with a butterfly hood and a 3406 Cat engine, took him for a ride when he was six years old. Growing up in Illinois, Jimmy graduated from Seneca High School in 2003 and wound up with a job at an outsourcing company for Caterpillar and, of course, lots of nice trucks came in and out of there, and Hinds Express of Sugar Grove was one of them. Working the second shift, Jimmy got to know some of the drivers and eventually met the owner, who helped Jimmy get his license. Once Jimmy got his CDL at age 20 in 2005, he went to work driving locally until he turned 21, then he hit the road. He drove for Hinds until 2008, then switched to running waste, pulling end dumps, belt trailers and low boys. In 2010, a friend told him about some custom harvesting work in Kansas. Jimmy was handed a list of names, and on that list he came across Dan Skinner of Skinner Harvesting in Emporia. Jimmy called Dan and they hit it off. Jimmy joined the harvest crew and worked from Texas to Montana. Working for Dan and his wife Stephanie, he felt like family. He loved the area and the people where they lived, so Jimmy moved 10-4 Magazine / August 2025 25 a car-hauler front axle. I hadn’t ordered a truck with oval hole wheels in a long time, so I did it on this one just to be different. Jimmy came up on Monday to do all the paperwork, then brought me some I-29 parts late Tuesday evening for the truck. Then, Mike and the Geis Dealer Group crew got her dialed in so he could pick it up on Friday. On Monday morning, after adding a few more items at home over the weekend, Jimmy took the truck to Nadine Ward’s Signworks in Wichita, KS for some vinyl door logos, and by Monday afternoon, he was out working. Jimmy wanted to give a special thanks to his parents that have always been big supporters of anything that he’s involved in – from racecars, to trucking, kids and family – basically, everything he is passionate about. Jimmy also wanted to thank Dan and Stephanie Skinner, who have always been very supportive and had a positive influence on him, as well. When I mentioned doing this article, Jimmy told me he was a big 10-4 Magazine fan, saying, “It’s hard to find any magazines these days with all the online stuff, but not only is 10-4 a real magazine, it’s still free, too!” Good luck with this new chapter, Jimmy, we can’t wait to read the next one! n A NEW CHAPTER
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