50 10-4 Magazine / February 2026 In Matthew 5:16 in the Bible we are instructed to “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” That calling is exactly what Phillip Couch is living out through his 1999 Freightliner, appropriately named, New Testament. Freshly baptized and still soaking in all the overwhelming goodness of God, I was walking through the Gulf Coast Truck Show in Biloxi, Mississippi, when this truck stopped me in my tracks. With a cowboy kneeling beside his horse at the foot of the cross and the words “New Testament” boldly displayed across the suicide doors, I was instantly drawn to it. It isn’t just a show truck – it’s a rolling testimony. Phillip Couch has always had a passion for big trucks and the lifestyle that comes with them. He never set out to be a business owner, he simply knew he wanted to be a trucker. As soon as he earned his CDL, Phillip hit the open road. On April 21, 2001, he married his wife, Kerri. Together, they welcomed their son, Phillip Zachary, in February 2001, followed by their youngest, Joel Edrick, in September 2003. Just months into their marriage, in September 2001, Phillip and Kerri took a leap of faith. What started as an idea quickly became reality as they launched Couch Trucking LLC, transforming it into a fully operating business in just 11 days. These days, Couch Trucking now operates a fleet of 23 trucks, including 15 of their own company units and eight owner operators. Based in Robbins, Tennessee, the company hauls a diverse range of freight, from oversized loads and flatbed shipments to scrap metal, throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. By 2010, Phillip found himself wrestling with the tension of being a young Christian while still carrying the weight of who he had been before God saved him. He questioned how he could truly be a light while reconciling his past with his faith. Well, that question was answered on Easter Sunday in 2010. As Phillip prepared his boys for church, his Bible fell open to John 8:12, the very verse now displayed on the back of his sleeper, which says, “Follow after me in light and never walk in darkness.” Phillip describes that moment as pivotal, and the instant when everything changed. In September 2018, Phillip bought the truck seen here from an individual in Missouri, that would later be known as New Testament. Laughing as he tells the story, Phillip recalls, “It was in rough shape and needed a lot of work, but it ran and drove, so that was a plus.” The exhaust was rotted in two, oil leaks were plentiful, and the paint left much to be desired. Still, the truck went to work just six weeks later. Anyone familiar with truck building knows deadlines and the will to get them done. Where there’s a Special Feature: By Kasey Aslinger will, there’s a way. Working alongside his sons and the team at Terry’s Hot Rods, Phillip completed the transformation in just 60 days, with 30 days dedicated to the exterior and 30 to the interior. Originally, the plan was to paint the truck a pewter metallic gray, but once it arrived at the shop, Phillip felt compelled to paint it white, though he couldn’t explain why. That clarity came through a conversation with a church deacon who asked Phillip if he knew the story of Johnny Cash. When Cash was lost, he sang about the man in black. After he was saved, Johnny Cash spoke of the man in white. The truck had been black when Phillip purchased it, now it was white. “Now I get to talk about the man who saved my life,” said Phillip. The truck’s name came during a moment at the table as Phillip sat there listening to others offer suggestions. With his head down it suddenly became clear there was no better name than New Testament. The very scripture that helped set Phillip back on the right path, John 8:12, became the foundation of the build and its message. His hope is simple: that when people see that verse they’ll take the time to look it up and maybe read the surrounding verses as well, because that Scripture is what saved him and led him exactly where he needed to be. One of Phillip’s favorite details of the build is something most people never notice at first glance. In the cab, a Bible verse is placed on the floor, positioned so that on hard days, he can look over his shoulder and draw strength from it. Phillip believes darkness is constantly trying to tear the world down, and that A ROLLING TESTIMONY
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