10-4 Magazine March 2022

12 10-4 Magazine / March 2022 hauls a lot to Comic-Con, an annual convention held in San Diego focused on comic books and super heroes, stuff for Lakers basketball games, and Corona Extra beer (he stores and hauls a 20-foot container that has been conver ted into a mobile bar and par ty lounge). Some of the larger trade show exhibits he has ever hauled were for Skechers Shoes and Hilti Corp., a company that manufactures and sells construction related tools. The display he hauled for Hilti, which was set up at World of Concrete in Las Vegas, included 27 loads and 30 containers as par t of their display. The booth he hauled for Skechers, to a shoe convention, was massive and also featured 27 loads. This booth had glass entry doors into the space flanked by real waterfalls on each side – it was amazing! Most displays are not this elaborate, but Ron, along with a stable of owner operators when needed, is up for the task if they are. Some of his “go-to” guys are friends of ours and well known in the trucking community – guys like Arlyn Workman, Tony Huttenstine, Danny Castillo, and Dane Nelson. All these guys, at some point, were featured in our magazine. Driving that 2002 Peterbilt 379 until 2018, Ron “retired” the truck (which was no longer CARB-compliant in California) and parked it in a corner of his shop. Since it was paid for and he didn’t want to get rid of it, he just tucked it away. Purchasing a white 2005 Peterbilt 379 with a 90” ICT bunk and equipped with a DPF, Ron drove this truck for just over a year. Ron likes white because it goes with everything and is easy to keep clean. In March of 2019, he bought the 2016 Peterbilt 389 seen here on these pages (and the cover and centerfold) from a guy named Ken Tucker out of Kissimmee, FL. When he bought the 2016 Peterbilt 389, which had 219,000 miles on the odometer, it was already equipped with the extra tall 120” ARI sleeper and fitted with a 565 Cummins ISX, an 18-speed, and a nice 300” wheelbase. The truck had good “bones” to star t with, but Ron pretty much changed everything else after that. Ron’s friend Chris Governo of Southside Tow in Bell Gardens, CA (he has since moved to Texas) helped him with many of the modifications, including custom brackets for the Hogebuilt stainless-steel full fenders. Chris also installed the Air Ride by Horse system on Ron’s front axle, allowing him to raise and lower the truck’s front end at the flip of a switch. Other modifications done to the truck’s exterior include swapping out the stock exhaust for a 5-inch system from Dynaflex with Pickett elbows, old-school heat shields, and custom chrome-plated brackets underneath, a visor from RLK Services, chopped screens on genuine Vor tox air cleaners, and a 20” bumper featuring hand-rolled ends from Valley Chrome. The truck already had seven bullet-style cab lights on the roof, but Ron switched out all the lenses to real glass, along with every other light on the truck. Custom steel steps, leading up to the painted Merritt deck plate (black to match the chassis), were made by Ron’s in-house fabricator Cesar. The final touch was plenty of orange and gray pinstriping done by Danny A (Danny Alvarado) of Danny A Designs in Monrovia, CA. Purchasing all his lights and accessories from Caliva’s Chrome Shop in Montebello, CA, Ron and Vic Caliva have been friends for a long time. Vic is a world-famous polisher, a great friend of mine, and a longtime adver tiser in 10-4 Magazine (his first ad appeared on the back cover of our October 1993 edition). Following in his dad’s footsteps, Vic’s son Colby Caliva takes care of all the mobile polishing, and always keeps Ron’s rig looking shiny and bright. Moving inside the cab, the interior was well appointed but mostly stock when Ron got the truck. Since then, he has had the door panels and headliner piece reupholstered with black leather and gray double stitching, Danny A pinstriped the lower kick panels and dash, and stainless-steel dual watermelon (glass) dome lights from Pickett Custom Trucks were added to the ceiling. Ron also installed a Forever Sharp steering wheel, which he had chrome plated, a chrome CB, and custom brake valve knobs that look like little polished aluminum wheels. Since this is an everyday work truck, Ron kept the black rubber floor and rubber Peterbilt floor mats for practicality purposes – and to be different. Walking into the large ARI sleeper, which features six inset watermelon lights on the back, Ron and a friend removed the couch that was originally there and built a custom full-sized bed that tucks away when not in use. This bed is much more comfor table than what the sleeper came with, and when it is folded up, there is still a bench that Ron can sit on. The sleeper also has a 42” Smar t TV with DirecTV, a full bathroom with a toilet and shower, a sink with running water, and a convection microwave oven. With most of the amenities from home, Ron can comfor tably spend extended periods of time in the truck, which is often required in his line of work. Under the hood sits a clean and tidy 565 Cummins ISX, which has been embellished with a chrome Dynaflex air intake kit, more pinstriping from Danny A along the edges of the wheel wells, and chrome shocks. The engine has also been fitted with intake and exhaust manifolds from PDI, along with a PDI tune, pumping the 565 up to