10-4 Magazine May 2022

10-4 Magazine / May 2022 13 of Wissota Collision and Customs in Cadott, WI for help, all of the textured plastic interior pieces were sanded smooth and painted red. This was a huge job. Then, Ezra Graumann of EAG Custom Upholstery & Embroidery in Medford, WI did an amazing job of covering the low back seats, with “Big T” embroidered in them, along with the door panels, walls in the sleeper, and the ceiling pieces, all in black leather with red stitching in a smooth diamond pattern. Johnson Hill Customs made and painted an aluminum floor in the cab, and a custom shor t shifter from SH Tube was installed, topped with a custom KW knob from Lee Forney at Old School Customs. As mentioned previously, the back of the visor has a vinyl graphic that says “U Can’t Take It With You” that also features drawings of gold bars and rolls of cash. All of the overhead lights inside were replaced with glass watermelon lights that can be switched from white to red. The stereo features (8) 6.5-inch round Rockford Fosgate speakers, plus (2) 4x6 speakers, (2) 12-inch sub-woofers hidden under the bed, (2) Rockford Fosgate amps, and a Pioneer in-dash head unit with a large touch screen. Tom likes all kinds of music, so you never know what tunes he might be cranking. He even likes to listen to old crooners like Dean Mar tin and Frank Sinatra, because they remind him of driving with his grandpa in his Cadillac when he was a kid. With three full time mechanics, Johnson Hill Customs, which was originally star ted just to work on K&D trucks and their owner operator’s rigs, now does work for other customers and is open to the public. The business has really taken off, and if Tom and Adam’s cool trucks are any indication of what they can do, you might want to consider having them customize your truck, too. As you can see, Tom’s truck is top notch, and Adam has a bunch of really nice stuff, too. Johnson Hill Customs is also a distributor for Brunner Fabrication, RoadWorks, PDI, Hogebuilt, Lincoln Chrome, and SH Tube, and now offer full lines of all these products for both sale and installation. A future project for Tom’s truck is painting his engine silver with black accents. Working 5-6 days a week, typically doing 2 or 3 turnarounds, Saturday is Big Ts time to relax and unwind. He enjoys hanging out with friends, having a few cold beverages, and riding Harleys. He has owned several bikes over the years, and currently has two – a 2016 Road Glide with a turbo and a 1998 Fat Boy, which he owned years ago and just recently bought back. Since getting divorced in 2000, Tom has only had one serious relationship, but it did last a long time. Trucking eventually came between Tom and that girlfriend, as it often does, causing them to par t and go their separate ways after almost ten years. K&D Transpor t has been family owned since 1946 and currently has four dedicated owner operators and seven company trucks. Ran by Karen and Dwight (K&D) Johnson, who still handle most of the day-to-day operations and dispatching, along with help from their son Adam, their primary focus is specialized flatbed and step deck freight in the Midwest. Tom loves working with these folks, and jokes about how he is head of their SHD – Sloped Hood Division! He even had hats made that say that. Truth be told, Tom’s Kenwor th T680 is the ONLY aero truck in K&Ds fictitious and imaginary SHD. Always focusing on the positive, Tom said, “You can’t dwell on the negative.” He also added, “Any day you can look up, get up!” All of Tom’s kids live nearby, so he is able to visit with them often. His son Josh, who works at a tech company, and wife Cour tney recently gave Tom his first granddaughter. Her name is Sloane. His daughter Stefanie owns her own salon, and his son Henry