AUGUST 2026 COVER FEATURE: Legendary American Trucker Bob Spooner owned and operated this 1961 Peterbilt needle-nose, complete with a butterfly hood, for over 63 years. Bob drove this Peterbilt since it was new and amassed over eight million miles in it over his long and legendary trucking career. Starting its life as a Peterbilt 281 (2-axle) day-cab with a 250 Cummins and a 5+4 two-stick setup, the truck, which was purchased brand-new for only $15,700, was later stretched and made into a 3-axle. Over its life, the truck had 5 dierent engines and 4 dierent sleepers, with each (engine and sleeper) being bigger and better than the last. As seen here in its final iteration, it was powered by a Cummins N14, hooked to an 1 8-speed, with a 120” Double Eagle sleeper. Yosemite Sam graced the front of his truck and “ate bugs” for almost 60 years. Sadly, Bob passed away on March 13, 2026, from injuries sustained in a wreck (not his fault) in his pickup truck on a snowy highway in late 2023.
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