10-4 Magazine / July 2025 59 Dalton, they signed on the truck, and Brian has piloted it since day one. Featuring a high torque 605-hp X15 Cummins, backed by an 18-speed, turning 3.42 cogs, the truck has plenty of power, but tall gears, too (especially for the Haul Road). The truck sits on a 305-inch wheelbase (300-inches and longer is common in Alaska), and it has standard Dalton outfitting like dual 150-gallon fuel tanks, along with a 100-gallon “pony tank” for extra fuel. Maximizer fenders out back help protect the paint and Protech headache rack, while custom features like an 18-inch boxed-end bumper (yes, it is creased, as the Haul Road isn’t easy on trucks, and especially not chrome), an extended visor, and bullet cab lights, along with the retro-inspired 389X grille and polished fenders, this Peterbilt is about as show-ready as it gets on the Dalton. Other features include a full gauge package (or as full as you can get with the new digital dash), and standard Haul Road radios – both a CB and VHF “Big Radio” are onboard. And, like any of us who have run on the Dalton, Brian has had his good days and bad days. But, also like anyone who has run the Haul Road, even on the bad days, Brian is ready to get back into the saddle and go trucking. Truck-N-Up may not have the fleet size of companies like Alaska West, Lynden, Carlile or STR, but like many of the smaller carriers and lease-operators found on the Dalton, Truck-N-Up also has the service you’d anticipate with a smaller operation. Truck-N-Up, Bobby and Nora Flowers, along with their drivers, mechanics, and personnel aim for a quality of service that matches the quality of their rides. From bedsheets to groceries, from propane to toilet paper, Deadhorse, Alaska needs all the goods and services any town or city does. But, unlike most others, the highway that services those transports is singular, remote, dangerous and challenging. However, for driver’s such as Brian Vellas, Bobby Flowers and many others, that is the draw. I’d like to thank Bobby and Nora, as well as Brian, and the entire crew at Truck-N-Up for taking the time to get the 389X ready for it’s photo shoot, especially after recently finishing a major rebuild from the ground-up. It takes money to go trucking, and it takes more to go trucking on the Dalton, so any downtime is major. Above all else, Bobby and Nora would like to thank and acknowledge their drivers, mechanics and every employee at Truck-N-Up for making their company one of the best small fleets on the Dalton. Brian would like to thank Bobby and Nora for everything Truck-N-Up has given him – namely a clean Haul Road ride from day one! The Dalton may be relentless, but the drivers who run it regularly are up to the task, and possibly even more relentless! n
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