“FOR TODAY’S TRUCKER” NOVEMBER 2025 ® Magazine SINCE 1993! REPORTS FROM SHOWS IN NEVADA, WISCONSIN, OREGON, IOWA, OHIO, AND EVEN IN ENGLAND! WISCONSIN’S KEVIN BABLER AND HIS CLASSY PETE 389X Cabover Kev’s V12-Powered Freightliner is Not About the Miles Per Gallon, It’s About the... SMILES PER GALLON
2 10-4 Magazine / November 2025
6 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 18651 Valley Blvd, Unit B, Bloomington, CA 92316 Grand General Bumpers, Lights, Grills, Fenders, Stacks & More We Install What We Sell...
20 46 10 ® 30 FUN: WordSearch 45 • Red’s Rides 57 • Truckertoon 61 • Crossword 65 • NumberSearch 69 • Words To Live By 76 NOVEMBER 2025 CONTENTS VOLUME 33 ISSUE 3 COVER FEATURE Kevin Young Loves the Smiles Per Gallon He Gets ........ 10 PERFORMANCE ZONE A Different Perspective from Jordan Greathouse ............ 17 TRUCK SHOW REPORT Braving the Boiling Heat in Brooks, OR .......................... 20 CLINT’S CREATIONS Greg McMillin’s Not So Stock New Peterbilt 589 ............ 25 OUT OF THE ARCHIVES Another Old Gem from Bette Garber’s Collection .......... 29 TRUCK SHOW REPORT Some Show Coverage from “Across the Pond” .............. 30 THE DIESEL ADDICT Celebrating Small Towns and Big Rides ......................... 34 TRUCK SHOW REPORT Raising Money for a Good Cause in Randolph, OH ....... 46 THE VETERAN’S VIEW Keeping Your “Faith From the Foxhole” Alive ................. 50 TRUCK SHOW REPORT Big Rigs and Bigger Hearts in Baraboo, WI .................... 54 THE BOOKWORM SEZ... American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback .......... 59 TROY’S TREASURES An “Elevated Experience” for Eastin Franek ................... 62 TRUCK SHOW REPORT The No Coast Truck Show is Not a Joke Anymore ......... 66 TRUCKER TALK Combining Trucks and Racing in Las Vegas, NV ........... 70 POETRY IN MOTION Whenever it Ends it was Still Fun While it Lasted ............ 73
8 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 We at 10-4 Magazine® love to hear from our readers. If you have any comments, suggestions, gripes, questions, or just some information you would like to pass on to other readers (truckers just like you)... VISIT US ON OUR WEBSITE: www.tenfourmagazine.com FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Search for Ten Four Magazine SEND US AN E-MAIL: 10-4@tenfourmagazine.com WRITE US AT: 10-4 Magazine Post Office Box 639 Dunlap, CA 93621 CALL US ON THE PHONE: (559) 338-2703 10-4 MAGAZINE IS: Daniel J. Linss - OWNER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/MARKETING Jean Osugi - OWNER/TRUCK SHOW SUPPORT/HR Tim Sieben - OWNER/TFK MANAGER/SHOW SUPPORT Shannon Linss - OFFICE MANAGER &DISTRIBUTION Eric Hill - PRINT SALES MANAGER/SHOW SUPPORT John Testa - SALES &DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Stephanie Haas - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Parker Linss - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT/SHOW SUPPORT John Hambro -WEBSITE MANAGER Vic Vasselin - MONTHLY “TRUCKERTOON” ARTIST Mark McClain - CUSTOM CROSSWORD CREATOR Ron Kelsey - PRINT &DIGITAL SALES/AZDISTRIBUTION Jonathan Townsel - CENTRAL CALIFORNIA DISTRIBUTION Hugo Ruano - L.A. & L.B. HARBOR DISTRIBUTION Teresa Franco - LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRIBUTION Derek Bennett - HIGH DESERT DISTRIBUTION Julio “Junior” Tapia - INLAND EMPIRE DISTRIBUTION Terry Coombs - OR, WA & IDAHO DISTRIBUTION CONTRIBUTING WRITERS, EDITORS &PHOTOGRAPHERS: Bruce Mallinson• Eric Hill • John & Kim Jaikes Trevor Hardwick • Stephanie Haas • Clint Moore K.M. Stanfield • Dennis Mitchell • Colin Kund Mark Harter • Duncan Putman • Norman Chapman Ryan Rosetta • Brandon Twale • Miss Flatbed Red Troy Miller • Terri "Bookworm" Schlichenmeyer WEBSITE: MEDIA: Magazine PHONE:
Cover Feature: By Daniel J. Linss After working the 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM shift for about six months, Kevin then got another opportunity to start driving his “uncle” Bert’s (not his real uncle) 1975 long hood Kenworth W900A with a 300” wheelbase, a 1693TA CAT and a 13-speed – and he took it! Being young and energetic, he did not quit his other gig, and began working the 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM shift, too. At just 18 years old, Kevin was making good money and driving not one but two cool trucks, and, as he put it, “I thought I was the bee’s knees!” And he probably was. In 2006, after finally getting his CDL, Kevin started driving for his dad, who had just built a 1979 Extended Hood Peterbilt 359, which Kevin got to drive. The truck originally came with a V8 CAT, but Kevin and his dad swapped it out with a Detroit Silver 92. Kevin drove that truck for his dad until 2011, and then took a job at Piazza Not every trucker cares about the miles per gallon their truck gets. In fact, Kevin Young of G. Young & Son Trucking out of Waxahachie, TX says he’s lucky to get 4 MPG out of his 12V-71 Detroit-powered Freightliner cabover, which he runs every day. But Kevin is way more excited to see how many “smiles per gallon” he can get from this classic beauty when the true old school truckers hear him roll past. He has had grown men tear up when looking at his truck, complete with a set of Spicer boxes, which is reminiscent of what so many older drivers out there drove back in what was arguably the best decade of trucking – the 1980s. Not bad for a 39-year-old kid who was born and raised in Compton, CA. Kevin’s dad, Gilford “Beaver” Young (66), who also grew up in Compton, started hanging out in a truck yard across the street from where he played football, and at just 17 years old, he started learning how to wrench on trucks. Before long, he was going out with the drivers, and then he eventually got his CDL and started driving himself. At first, he drove for a bunch of different companies in and around the Los Angeles area, sometimes driving his own truck, and sometimes driving theirs as a company driver. In 1979, he started subhauling for a company called Keep On Trucking (KOT) based in Wilmington, CA, and 48 years later, he is still running for them (they are now known as MHX). Back then, like many truckers, Beaver’s truck of choice was a cabover, and he had a few of them over the years, along with some cool trucks with hoods, too. KOT almost exclusively ran Freightliner cabovers, so growing up around them, Kevin fell in love with those trucks at a very early age, and that love has caused him to own and operate several cabovers, too (his nickname is even Cabover Kev). At just 39 years old, Kevin is an old soul – he does not fit the mold of a middle-aged trucker at all. Learning how to work from his dad, Kevin started handing him tools, then went on to bigger jobs and polishing, which eventually led to full-on maintenance (he stabbed his first transmission at just 12 years old). As far back as he can remember, Kevin was going out in the truck with his dad. And aside from his love of football, trucking was all he ever wanted to do. And since the NFL didn’t call him, he ended up in a truck. Graduating high school in 2004, he made up an excuse and ditched his “Grad Night” date so he could go trucking with his dad. That night, he piloted his dad’s truck over the Grapevine and up to Fresno – and he loved it. After graduation, he spent three months on the road with his dad, and then in August of 2004, he got the opportunity to drive a 1983 Freightliner cabover with a big sleeper, a 400 Big Cam and a 10-speed, hauling lumber out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. 10 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 SMILES PER GALLON
Trucking out of Southgate, CA doing heavy haul work, running 9-axles and other big setups. In March 2014 Kevin became an owner operator and leased on with our friend and past cover trucker (July 2013) Rick “Shannon” Crenshaw of JD Specialized of Sapulpa, OK. At the time, Kevin was driving an old 1985 Keep On Trucking (KOT) Freightliner cabover (#337), painted in their signature brown color with white stripes. Fitted with a Detroit Silver 92, Kevin was running that cabover hard in all 48 states and being out for weeks at a time. At some point during his time at JD Specialized, that old KOT Freightliner dropped a valve, so Kevin decided to put a truck he had purchased a few years prior on the road in its place – that truck was the Freightliner cabover seen on our cover and centerfold this month, and on these pages. Flashing back a bit to 2013, the Velasquez Brothers in Los Angeles (known for their red Super Drag KW with yellow flames) told Kevin about a Freightliner cabover that was for sale in Phelan, CA that was equipped with an 8V-92 Detroit, which he was looking for. When Kevin went to look at the truck, it was in bad shape – a homeless guy had actually been living in it! But, as Kevin looked harder, he realized it was dirty and trashy, but underneath all that, it was in really good shape. The guy just wanted it gone, so Kevin offered him less than his asking price of $2,500 and the guy took it. Kevin’s friend Chris Governo of Southside Towing picked it up and drug it to Kevin’s dad’s yard in Long Beach, and that is where it sat until Kevin needed it. Once his KOT Freightliner went down, Kevin, who had moved from Carson, CA to Waxahachie, TX in 2015, flew out to California and spent just over two weeks working on the 1981 Freightliner FLA, which was painted in the yellow, white and blue colors of 3-Way Van Lines, preparing to put it on the road. Replacing all the tires, filters, fuel lines and wheel seals, he also got it all polished out, fixed the air conditioning, filled her up with fresh fuel, and she fired right up! On its maiden voyage, after sitting for 22 years, Kevin picked up a load in Los Angeles heading to Portland, OR. Once delivered, he loaded steel plates for Nebraska, delivered them, then headed to the yard in Oklahoma, where he got reloaded, and then headed home to Texas. Although he was making the most money he had ever made, being away from home was taking its toll, so he left JD Specialized and moved over to Knox Transportation, in hopes of being home more. On a sad note, not long after Kevin left JD Specialized, the young owner and our friend, Shannon Crenshaw, was killed in a car accident in July 2016. Based in Knoxville, TN, Knox Transportation is owned by another friend and past cover trucker (December 2017), Todd Campbell. While at Knox, Kevin swapped out the truck’s 8V-92 with a Silver 92 and replaced the 15-speed with a set of Spicer 6+4 boxes, added the drom behind the sleeper, and then had Chris Governo stretch the wheelbase to 256 inches. In May 2016, Kevin and Todd, driving their Freightliner cabovers, took a trip west to attend the ATHS National Convention and Truck Show in Salem, OR, and made the trip entirely on old 2-lane highways and back roads. Calling it the “Back in Time Tour,” they wore vintage 1970s clothes and grew beards and/or sideburns, and avoided truck stops and the interstates. They cooked most of their meals on the side of the road, they slept in their trucks and stopped to enjoy the scenery whenever they wanted. They traveled about 2,250 miles from Oklahoma to Oregon and only drove 20 miles on an interstate (we printed a story about their entire trip in our July 2016 edition). While at Knox, Kevin did a few different things, including pulling a flatbed, pulling a dry van, and pulling a reefer – but none of them ever quite paid enough. And with hopes of being home more, he was actually home even less! So, in January of 2018, he left Knox Transportation, re-activated his father’s old authority, added his name as an owner, and then started doing his own thing. And that’s what he has been doing ever since. At first, he was running all over the 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 11
12 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 entire country, but eventually he settled into a great somewhat local gig in Texas, that gets him home almost every night. That story sounds good and simple, but running old cabovers like Kevin does, the road has not always been smooth. In 2020, the Silver 92 threw a rod out the side of the block, so he swapped that engine for a 12V-71. Just a few weeks later, in early 2021, the crank broke in that 12V-71, so he parked the yellow and white Freightliner, got his old KOT cabover running again (overhauled the engine himself) after it sat for almost seven years, and then drove that truck for a couple more years. Unfortunately, in 2023, the head cracked, water got in the pan, and it spun three main bearings. At this point, Kevin turned to his dad, who had recently bought a 1972 Peterbilt 352A COE from Shawn McCord with no engine, transmission or radiator. A few years prior, Kevin’s “uncle” Bert Lyde, who was fighting cancer at the time, gave his old 1975 W900A (AKA Big Black) to him. This was the same long hood A-model Kevin drove when he was 18 years old, so it was special to him. Kevin’s dad wanted to sell his 1972 Peterbilt 352A, which had been sitting since 1980 before he acquired it, but Kevin didn’t want to see it go, so he swapped titles with his dad – the W900A for the 352A – in order to keep them both in the family. Kevin later got the W900A back from his dad, and today it sits in his driveway in Texas, waiting to be restored. For the next six months or so, Kevin worked tirelessly at his dad’s yard in Long Beach, CA, putting the 352A back together to its original specs. Installing a 425-hp 1693 CAT and a 13-speed, he kept the rig’s spring suspension, roof-mounted A/C unit, and air-assist steering. Painted brown and yellow, with a drom and a long wheelbase, this rig really turned heads. Kevin put it on the road in November 2023 and ran it full-time until he sold it to Gus Hulstein in May of 2025. Gus lives in Central Oregon and is another past cover trucker (November 2021). Once the Peterbilt was gone, it was time for Kevin to refurbish and rebuild his yellow and white 1981 Freightliner cabover and get it back on the road. Rebuilding and tuning the 12V-71 with twin turbos himself with help, advice and parts from Detroit Diesel legend Johnny Wong and Kevin’s friends Danny Woosley and Wayne Talkington, he got that V12 running (and sounding) amazing. When he first fires it up, it roars to life and sounds like a 1969 Chevelle with a 396 Big Block, but when it idles and runs, it sounds as smooth as silk – surprisingly, it is not as obnoxious sounding as most V12 Detroits. Kevin started working on the truck on May 1st and then it hauled its first load on June 24, 2025, and he’s been running it all over Texas, every day, ever since. Featuring a spacious 104” cab (we always like that number), most of the black and brown interior is stock, except for the seats, the 22” steering wheel (it came with a 20-incher), and, of course, the two sticks. The exterior features an 18” Valley Chrome bumper, 5” stacks, 8” dual air intakes with polished bonnets, long Hogebuilt quarter-fenders, polished toolboxes on each side, and the original visor. Kevin opted for a “White Freightliner” emblem on the front, even though, technically, the company stopped using that badging in the United States in 1977. He also had to have those West Coast style “Hustler” antennas with the tall stainless shafts! At one point, Kevin’s goal was to paint this truck in the Keep On Trucking brown and white company paint scheme, but after much thought, he decided the 3-Way colors were pretty iconic, too, so he opted to keep them. George Brown originally ordered this truck new in plain white with a maroon frame in 1981, but three months later, he signed on with 3-Way Van Lines. Back in those days, they would pay to paint your truck in the company’s colors, so that is what George did. This paint job is almost 45 years old, and it certainly isn’t perfect by any means, but Kevin loves it. And if you notice the #308 on each side of the front of the truck, that is because the overall look and specs of this truck were done to imitate the look of KOT truck #308, a Freightliner cabover his dad drove for many years, before purchasing it from them. Seeing that this truck was inspired by #308, it only seemed fitting to put that number on the front of it.
10-4 Magazine / November 2025 13 As mentioned previously, Kevin and his wife Tiffany, who met at Cerritos College where Kevin played football when they were both “kids” still, have been together since 2005 and married since 2008. In those early days, Tiffany went everywhere with Kevin in the truck, and even after their first son Justin (13) was born, she took him along for a few years, as well. Once their second son Adrian (8) was born and Justin started school, her trips with Kevin on the road decreased, but the boys still love going out with dad and helping him in the shop whenever they can. In 2015 they sold their house in Carson, CA and moved to Waxahachie, TX. And as much as they miss California, they don’t regret making this move – not to mention, Kevin could not register or run his old cabovers in California anymore. As Kevin put it, “It was time to go.” Kevin’s father still drives a truck and has been married to Kevin’s mom Sharon for 42 years. They still live in Southern California, and his dad has some cool stuff laying around – like a 1970 Extended Hood A-model, a Freightliner Powerliner, and a 1986 Freightliner FLC. Thanks to the work ethic and skills his father taught him, Kevin is proud of the fact that he did all the work on not only this truck, but all his trucks. And not just the cosmetic stuff – he rebuilds motors, changes transmissions, everything. The only thing he didn’t do on this 1981 Freightliner was stretch the frame, because he doesn’t know how to weld – but he is committed to learning how to do that, too. Like Kevin said, “If you’re gonna run old trucks, especially ones with big Detroits, you’d better know how to work on them!” When Kevin is not trucking or working on his old trucks, his passion is cooking – especially smoking meats and barbecue. He even has a side gig called “Cabover Kev’s Kitchen” where he cooks and caters meals for special events. Since I share this same passion, we talked a long time about cuts of meat, cooking temperatures, types of wood, rubs and seasonings, and all other sorts of BBQ things that would probably
14 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 bore most folks, but I loved it. Just go check out Kevin’s socials, and you will see some amazing pictures of the food he makes. Neither of us has ever competed, but we both want to give it a try someday. Kevin also likes making authentic Mexican food (like the stuff he used to get in SoCal). Along with cooking, Kevin also enjoys coaching and watching his boys play football. Wanting to thank a few people, the first one on Kevin’s list would be his father, as Beaver taught him everything! He also wanted to thank his wife for her patience and support through all the breakdowns and rebuilds, saying, “She is always in my corner.” A nod goes out to Johnny Wong, who worked for General Motors from the 1950s through the 1970s, before going out on his own and becoming the “King of Detroits” in the Los Angeles area as Wong Engineering from 1977 until he “retired” in 2004. Today, at 94 years old, he is still sharp as a tack and can climb in and out of a cabover quicker and better than me (I proved that during the photo shoot). Props also go out to Danny Woosley and Wayne Talkington, along with Chris Governo, for all their help getting this truck and that V12 just right. A true fan of the 1970s and 1980s, Kevin built this truck to celebrate and remember those influential decades, and to keep that real “old school” stuff alive. He is not concerned about his miles per gallon, as his 12V-71, on its best day, can barely get 4 MPG. However, it’s those smiles per gallon that he really cares about and what gets him excited. To see the reaction of some people as they look over his old cabover, with that screamin’ Detroit and a set of sticks, it just takes them back to a time or memories they cherish, and that is a special thing to witness. Thank you, Kevin Young, for doing your part in keeping the best of trucking alive and, hopefully, inspiring some of the younger drivers of today to keep it alive, as well. n
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10-4 Magazine / November 2025 17 The Performance Zone: By Bruce Mallinson I started my career at Pittsburgh Power with grease on my hands. For five years, I worked as a diesel mechanic, chasing fault codes, pulling injectors, and learning firsthand what keeps a truck alive or what takes it down. By the time I came up in the industry, computers were already a part of the trade. Diagnostics meant laptops and software, not just wrenches and instincts. But even then, the balance between technology and reliability still leaned toward the driver. A decade later, that balance has shifted hard in the other direction. Today, I work on the marketing side of the business, and that switch has given me a wider view of the challenges truckers face. From the shop floor, I saw the frustration in a driver’s eyes when a $100 sensor kept him parked for three days. From the office, I see the industry trends and regulations that make those sensors a permanent part of his life. Somewhere between those two worlds, the real and the regulatory, is where Pittsburgh Power has built its mission. The truth is that modern trucking isn’t getting any simpler. Every new emissions rule brings another layer of technology, and every software update seems to solve one problem while creating two more. Trucks today are packed with sensors, exhaust treatment systems, and electronics that make even small failures expensive. Just two decades ago, downtime meant a mechanical issue you could see and fix. Now, it often starts with a code that only a laptop can read, and only a manufacturer can clear. For owner operators trying to stay profitable, that’s not progress – that’s pressure. That’s why we have made it our job to help drivers work with technology instead of fighting against it. When I was in the bays, I saw firsthand how much soot and carbon build-up choke modern engines. That’s what led our engineers to create the Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst. It’s not “snake oil” or a quick fix, it’s a proven fuel treatment that improves combustion, cuts soot, reduces regen frequency, and extends the life of aftertreatment systems. For any drivers running emissions-era trucks, it’s one of the few tools that actually help the system perform as it was designed to. Of course, even the cleanest-burning fuel can’t fix everything. Modern engines can feel sluggish or inefficient right from the factory. That’s where our Remote Tuning comes in. We custom-calibrate engines within EPA guidelines to restore power, drivability, and fuel economy without risking compliance or reliability. It’s about making your truck respond the way it should: stronger, smoother, and more efficient so you can focus on driving, not diagnostics. And because today’s ultra-low sulfur diesel lacks the lubricity of older fuels, we also developed Flashpoint Fuel Additive. It protects the fuel injectors, improves lubricity, and helps maintain a consistent combustion in all weather conditions by boosting cetane numbers. It’s one more way to protect your investment from the damage that modern fuel chemistry can cause. But the real challenge facing trucking right now isn’t just the hardware, it’s the politics wrapped around it. Every year brings a new push for electric trucks, new emissions standards, and new labor rules that threaten the independence of all owner operators. The people A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE... FROM JORDAN GREATHOUSE writing these policies often mean well, but they’ve never had to run a business from the driver’s seat. California’s electric truck mandate, for example, has already been scaled back because the technology and infrastructure just aren’t ready for long-haul freight. The rest of the country should learn from that lesson before forcing any unrealistic changes on operators who already have enough to manage. From where I sit, having worked both under the hood and behind a computer, I see a common thread – drivers just want control back. They want trucks that respond the way they should. They want technology that works for them, not against them. And they want a fair chance to run their businesses without being buried under a mountain of costs and compliance headaches. That’s what Pittsburgh Power is about. We’re not here to sell trends or promise miracles, we’re here to provide real solutions for real problems. Whether it’s maximizing efficiency through Max Mileage, fine-tuning performance with Remote Tuning, or protecting your engine with Flashpoint, everything we do comes from the same place – respect for those who make their living behind the wheel. Even as the industry changes, the spirit of trucking hasn’t gone anywhere. The drivers I meet still take pride in their rigs and still value independence, craftsmanship, and performance. They’re the kind of people who built this country’s freight network long before regulations, software updates, and “zero-emission” goals took center stage. They don’t need saving, they just need tools that work and a team that understands what they’re up against. Ten years in, I still carry lessons from both the shop and the office. I’ve learned that progress isn’t about replacing drivers, it’s about supporting them. And as long as Pittsburgh Power exists, we’ll keep standing shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who keep America moving helping them stay efficient, independent and in control, no matter what changes come next. Thank you to Jordan for offering his insights into the current state of trucks and trucking this month. We have the best people here at Pittsburgh Power! See for yourself – visit our shop in Saxonburg, PA, check us out online at www.pittsburghpower.com, or call us at (724) 360-4080. I do not think you will be disappointed! n
18 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 SINA & SON TRANSPORTATION INC. FOR MORE DETAILS CALL 760-269-7777 NEVADA • CALIFORNIA • ARIZONA $$$ TOP DOLLAR FREIGHT $$$ FOR OWNER OPERATORS LOADS AVAILABLE www.sinaandsontransportationinc.com
20 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 We have been to plenty of “hot” truck shows over the years, but some are just hotter than others. Such was the case at the 32nd Annual Brooks Truck Show, held on August 22-23, 2025, at Powerland Heritage Park in Brooks, OR. With temps in the 100s and a bit more humidity than usual, it was just plain uncomfortable to be outside during the event. But, since it is an “outside” show, there wasn’t much we could do about it. Thankfully, the show provided us with a covered golf cart so that did offer us some shade, at the very least. This event, as always, was presented by the Oregon Trail Chapter of the ATHS along with the Pacific Northwest Truck Museum. With 384 trucks in attendance, it was not a record-breaking year, but that is still a very large number of trucks that most show promoters would give an arm and a leg to have at theirs, me included. Of those 384 trucks, 225 were antiques and 159 were considered working trucks. It is hard to believe, but a 2000 model year truck is now considered to be an antique! The show is typically laid out with the antiques in one area (under the trees), the working trucks in another (across the tracks), and then the featured manufacturer of that year in a grassy lot up front near the vendors. Since that grass lot was not completely filled with the featured brand of trucks, a lot of various brands of working trucks were parked in that area, as well. This year’s featured brand was Freightliner, and there were a bunch of cool old ones there to represent the marquee, including a white 1951 cabover, a silver and blue Powerliner, and a red and black 2-axle 1988 FLC 120 hooked to a short Utility van. A gold-colored 1969 White Freightliner 8164T cabover owned by Josh Youngman was turning heads, too. Of course, no Brooks show would be complete without the late Frank Merrill’s OSU themed black and orange 1982 Freightliner cabover on full display. We sure miss you, Frank! Another thing they do at this show is collect teddy bears – something Frank was also passionate about doing. These teddy bears are then distributed at Christmas to children’s hospitals and other organizations that help kids. This year they collected 193 teddy bears, just shy of the 203 they got last year. Frank Merrill, for those who do not know, was the longtime producer of this event, who tragically and suddenly passed away shortly after the 2023 show. We flew into Portland on Friday morning and then drove down to the show. Unfortunately, by the time we waited in a very long line to rent a car, stopped to have lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, went to Office Depot in Salem to pick up some fliers we had printed, and stopped at the store to stock up on snacks and drinks for the weekend, it was time to check into our hotel. So, after doing Truck Show Report: By Daniel J. Linss that, by the time we actually got to the show it was 4:00 PM. We typically go out to a great dinner with our friends at Schott Parts & Accessories, along with about 15 other friends and fellow vendors, but when we got to the show, they were already leaving for dinner. Needing to do some work at the show, we opted out of dinner, which was very disappointing, but necessary. Friday night featured the amazing “Night Glow” light show – and, as usual, it did not disappoint (there was even a customized golf cart made to look like a giant Radio Flyer wagon with glowing red lights). We spent several hours taking pictures and talking to people, as once the sun went down, the weather was finally pleasant enough to be outside and not be miserable. Although this is a non-competitive show, there are a few awards handed out. Cory from Schott Parts & Accessories worked tirelessly that night to see all the lit-up trucks and choose the winners. Once they were all selected, Cory personally went to each of BOILING IN BROOKS
10-4 Magazine / November 2025 21 the winners to present their trophies and take a few pictures. 1st Place went to Warfield Industries of Toledo, OR, and 2nd Place was awarded to Grant Cribbs Trucking of Dallas, OR. Everything wound down at about 10:00 PM that evening, which is when we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Saturday morning saw much more pleasant temperatures – it was still hot, but not as hot as Friday! Driving around the show in our golf cart, we took lots of pictures and had great conversations with friends, old and new. The working truck lot, which is actually a farmer’s field across the tracks – literally – was filled with tons of awesome iron. I am not sure if I have ever seen this lot so full (there were even some antiques out there). This area has become “the place to be” at the show, and for this reason, many folks choose to park their trucks out there. Not having a booth this year allowed us the freedom to just hang out, cruise around, and look at the trucks. Some of the notable fleets and folks at the show that had multiple trucks in attendance included George Van Dyke, Troy Charboneau, John Kooy, Oldland, Tyler Picknell, Josh Roberts, Mallorie’s, Gus Hulstein, Ram Trucking and many more. Josh Roberts’ silver and black 2004 Peterbilt 379 caught our eye, so we scheduled a photo shoot for the next day. Driving around the area on Saturday, we found a great spot nearby to shoot, but immediately after arriving on Sunday morning at the place, we were run out by an overzealous ranger (insert eye-roll here). Back to the show grounds we went to take the pictures – so much for keeping it a secret! But, as you probably already know, it showed up on our cover last month (October 2025). Some of my personal favorites this year included a red and white 1966 Kenworth W923 wrecker owned by Gene’s Towing out of Lakeland, WA, along with an old Freightliner cabover wrecker, complete with a Holmes unit, parked behind it, presumably from the same company. There’s just something about old tow trucks that gets me excited. Another one of my favorites was a yellow 2-axle 1984 Peterbilt 359 with red and orange stripes owned by Joe Kroon. This little hobby truck was also fitted with a small flatbed, and it was super cool. But my absolute favorite truck this year was probably Dave Blake’s cream and red 2024 Peterbilt 389 daycab from Auburn, WA – it was stunning in the sun, and looked great at night, too!
22 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 A few other standout rigs included a turquoise and white 2024 Kenworth W990 and matching tanker owned by Perseverance Transfer, a tan and brown 1997 Peterbilt 378 service truck from West Span Hauling, and a blue and white (along with a little rust) 1974 Peterbilt 359 and livestock trailer owned by Steve Marciel. It was also cool to see past cover trucker Steve Vermeer (February 2010) and his stellar 1979 Peterbilt 352 cabover, along with his son Travis, parked side-by-side (Travis was just eight years old when we met him and now he has own truck – a dark blue Peterbilt 389). There was also a nice magenta-colored 379 Peterbilt with violet stripes, pulling a matching stepdeck loaded with hay, brought out by Zweifel Custom Farming (ZCF). As mentioned before, this is a non-competitive show, but there are three People’s Choice awards handed out, in addition to the two Night Glow trophies on Friday night. Schott Parts & Accessories has a raffle and also sells the People’s Choice tickets to raise money for Liberty House, an organization in Salem, OR that provides assistance and support to children who have been the victim of abuse or neglect. This year they raised over $3,500 for the cause. The People’s Choice winners were: 1st Wade Matson; 2nd Colton Wold; and 3rd Troy Charboneau. After the trophies were handed out, the show came to a quick end at about 3:30 PM on Saturday. Sadly, by then, half of the trucks were already gone, as folks began their “slow roll” out of the event as early as noon that day. We truly believe the excessive heat on Friday just wore everyone out. In addition to hanging out at the show with some great people like Bryan Welsh and his entire family, including his dad Bill, who brought his blue 1989 Peterbilt 379 out to the show (which he hadn’t done in years), we also finally got to meet our newest (and one of the youngest) contributors, Ryan Rosetta (15) in person. This kid is cool, and he is definitely going places, so keep an eye out for more of his work in upcoming editions of 10-4. I also had the honor of taking a picture of Bryan with his kids, next to his truck, that replicated a photo he and his siblings took with their dad when they were kids. Thanks for letting me do that, Bryan. It was special. After our photo shoot on Sunday, we headed back to Portland for the night and then flew home on Monday morning. Big thanks go out to Jerry Crume and his entire crew for not only getting us a golf cart, but for always taking great care of us while at the show. Since Frank’s passing, they have taken on the daunting task of organizing and running this event, and they are doing a very good job. Frank would be proud! We may have been “Boiling in Brooks” during the show this year, but we still had a great time and look forward to next year, because some of the coolest rides (and people) reside in the PNW. n
10-4 Magazine / November 2025 23
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Clint’s Creations: By Clint Moore he drove until the day he retired and sold his company to Greg. Graduating high school in 1987, Greg went into the army and was fortunate to spend his time in northern Italy near Venice. His dad called and said that he really could use some help, so Greg, after just two years, did not re-up in the military, and instead came home and went straight to work – and hasn’t looked back. Purchasing four trucks and the company eleven years ago from his dad, Greg has since added seven company trucks and around 15 hired trucks. The first truck he bought after he took over the company was a 2017 Peterbilt 389 with a 48” flattop in bright red with all the goodies, which he still drives and dispatches from daily. Since then, he has added other cool 389s for drivers, and then the 589 pictured here. Knowing that he can’t do everything himself, Greg is so thankful for an amazing wife that always helps (even though she has another full time job), a wonderful family, and great drivers and lease operators. He is also excited that his oldest son Devin is now the fourth generation McMillin in trucking, and he hopes he will be able to keep it going, once Greg is ready to retire. The new truck pictured here is a 2026 Peterbilt 589 with a 565-hp X15 Cummins, an This month’s truck started out as a stock truck in a cool color and became an additional power unit for our good friends at P.E.M. Hauling Inc. of Grain Valley, MO. Greg McMillin (56) and his wife Leslie have been married for eleven years. They have three sons – Devin (24), Peyton (21) and Austin (21). The two older boys are from previous relationships, and the youngest they adopted together as a teenager. Greg’s grandfather Les McMillin owned dumps trucks and trucks that hauled milk even before WW-II and had two children, one of whom is Greg’s dad, Phil. His dad Phil was destined to truck. He purchased a wrecked Chevy dump truck during high school with a salvage title and then used it as a shop class project. The day he turned 18 he started driving at a new plant that was owned by one of his dad’s friends and customers, which they still haul for today. Phil married early and had a daughter and a son (Greg) from his first wife. After they got divorced, Phil met and married the love of his life, Donna, and then they had two daughters (she also had two of her own when they met). Greg said, “She is mom to me.” Phil and Donna have been married 45 years now. How time flies when you are having fun. Greg’s dad Phil had multiple trucks and even purchased new Peterbilt 379s from me in the early 2000s, one of which 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 25 18-speed, low leaf suspension with full locking diffs, and a pin-style 5th wheel. It was ordered for stock in a new formulated blue-ish color. Once we made the deal, Mike was given the go ahead to add a few items for Greg. The truck was fitted with a new style visor and stainless skirts from Storm at One 11 Weld Shop in Leavenworth, KS, breather lights bars, front and back, from 12 Ga. using RoadWorks lights, and Hogebuilt low rider half-fenders on I-29 brackets. It also got a flush deck plate, underglow lights, the tank was swapped to a split tank, then the truck went to Chad at C4 for a hydraulic wet kit. Lastly, our Cody (aka TOC) “Touch Of Class” dialed in the aluminum and paint correction right before it went to work. We want to thank Greg and his family not only for their business, but for their friendship over the years, and we look forward to future trucks and more fun times. This one might have started as a “stock” truck for the dealership, but it ended up being a sweet little custom ride for an awesome longtime customer! We can build one for you, too, just give us a call!! n STOCK NO MORE
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28 10-4 Magazine / November 2025
10-4 Magazine / November 2025 29 This one comes right from the owners of the truck pictured here, Roger and Heather Hogeland of Bullhead City, AZ. In honor of our shared birthdays in November (Heather and Bette), we submit this month’s tribute to Bette, which features a picture she took of our truck in 1999 at a show in Reno, NV. Our 1999 W900L had a 600-hp 3406E CAT and an 18-speed with 3.55 gears. We named it “Beyond Obsession” since it was our 2nd show truck following “Total Obsession”. We had the interior completely customized. Roger and I pulled a 48’ spread-axle reefer between California and New York. We have been married 41 years, and both miss Bette dearly. OUT OF THE ARCHIVES Bette Garber
Truck Show Report: By Miss Flatbed Red A decade ago, I knew nothing about trucks. I had just finished a second music education degree in England, where I also studied art. Fast forward to today, and the scales are oddly balanced between big rigs and Beethoven (and art in there somewhere, too). It had been four years since visiting my friends back in Blighty, England, and that last trip was a little messed up due to good ol’ Covid. Obviously, this time, I had to plan the trip around a truck show and, based on my schedule, I chose the TruckFest West Midlands event, held at Three Counties Showground, in Great Malvern. I arrived at Heathrow airport on the morning of the 4th of July (oh how the tables have turned)! After the train ride into London, a brief pub visit filled the time before the three-hour train ride into the countryside. Being a Friday, the trucks were already pouring into the show grounds, but I took the day easy to prepare for two solid days of European trucks. I was not prepared!! With 1,000 trucks, plus or minus 50, this is an average number for this massive event. The vintage trucks made up about 40 of them, with the majority on display being working rigs. Makes on display included Atkinson, DAF, ERF, Foden, Ford, Leyland, Scania, and two Kenworths, among others. When Nick Noon’s 1979 W900A drove past, I thought I was hallucinating. Obviously, I had to chase him down for the story. A relative imported it. It’s registered to work, but American trucks, especially conventionals, are way too long for the narrow, winding English roads. I climbed into several trucks over the course of the two-day show, and interviewed drivers of a wide variety of makes and models. That gave me a chance to observe even more differences between what you regularly see there versus here. The first thing you notice is how TALL the cabovers are. That height has to legally be displayed above the passenger door inside the cab. While they are tall, I was able to climb in and out without holding onto anything. The steps are easy to use, and the whole setup is super driver centered. And no matter the manufacturer, most of the trucks have a microwave and pull-out under sleeper refrigerator drawer. The driver’s seats often swivel so you can swing around for a meal, and a table can sometimes be pulled out of the dash. You may be wondering why cabovers are still kings of the road in England and ask, “Where are all the conventionals?” Well, Europe is old, and the roads are narrow, sometimes with houses/buildings built up right to the road itself (I’m talking the edge of the structure is the curb)! The extra length of a hood makes maneuvering hard to impossible. Cabovers are the answer. As you peruse the photos of the trucks on display, you may notice that many of the newer ones have cameras 30 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 ACROSS THE POND!
10-4 Magazine / November 2025 31 instead of mirrors. I asked a driver of 40 years his thoughts on the matter, as his 2023 was set up with cameras. His answer was that you have to be open minded and at least give new technology a fair chance before coming to a verdict. An answer like that was most definitely not expected, and it gave me something to reflect upon. After all, 100 years ago, plenty of deliveries were still being made by horse and cart. Some of the other trucks I talked to him about were 1970s Atkinsons (an English manufacturer) with wooden cabs! DAF had a big fancy display, in which I was able to seek refuge several times when the unpredictably predictable English weather turned. The trucks they brought to display included an electric cabover and a special edition “UK30” built to celebrate 30 years of DAF in the UK. Including all those driver comfort cabover features I mentioned before, the UK30 also had a lower bunk that could be adjusted so the driver is sitting up! The employee I interviewed was well over six feet tall, and he had plenty of room above his head while standing inside the cab. So, short or not, and no matter the opinions on their appearances, those European cabover trucks are super spacious and comfortable. In addition to trucks, there were dozens and dozens of food vendors, multiple coffee trucks, two big mobile bars, and ice cream vans scattered all over. There were full-on carnival rides, monster truck rides, and a huge variety of vendors. I even picked up a couple custom-pressed number plates for the Marmon and my Mini Cooper back home. Activities continued inside with wrestlers and Gladiators! If you thought 1,000 trucks in a field in the West Midlands sounded like a lot, the TruckFest in Lincoln attracts 3,000 trucks, and a show in Scotland gets 2,000-2,500! The first event was held back in 1983 in Newark. The night before the show it snowed, but 300 trucks still turned up. The organizers couldn’t afford to be in publications, so they sat along the motorway and advertised using CB radios. “Straight away we knew it wasn’t going to be a big enough site, so in 1984 we moved to Peterborough, and then later to our current site in Lincoln,” co-founder Bob Limming told me. There are now nine events held throughout the year around Britain. The one in Scotland has gone on for 38 years now. The event wrapped up on Sunday afternoon with a wide range of awards. Our W900A friend Nick took home Best Supertruck. The mood during the awards was not one of competition, but of congeniality. However, participants definitely knew the prestige of awards, as some spent every moment of Friday evening and Saturday cleaning and then cleaning again (being England, this often meant having to re-clean after a brief rain). I met tons of great people from all over the UK that showed me fabulous hospitality. I am looking forward to attending another TruckFest event in the future. And, as they say “over there” across the pond – cheers! n
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The Diesel Addict: By Stephanie Haas for over a year, trying a few different things, but Wisconsin eventually called him home. Once he was back, he went to work for a milk hauler for a couple of years, then for a company owned by one of his dad’s friends for about a year. In 2012, Kevin started his own company with a 2005 Western Star quad-axle milk truck running a milk route. By 2014, he added two more semis to haul whey. In 2022, he let his milk route go to focus on the whey hauling. In the winter of 2022, Kevin had ordered a few trucks, and once they were completed in May 2023, he went to the factory in Texas to get them. Included with these new trucks was a numbered 2024 Peterbilt 389X. He didn’t want to risk getting rock chips or put extra miles on the trucks getting them delivered to the dealership from the factory, which is why he asked for permission to pick them up himself. The 389X is #247 and is equipped with a 605-hp X15 Cummins engine, an 18-speed transmission, 3.08 rears and a 308” wheelbase. There are also plenty of cool extras including an in-house built deck plate, train horns, double square 359 headlights, a Dane Nelson bug shield, RLK visor, Shift Products fenders, Lifetime billet oil covers, 12 Ga. Customs DPF cover, and a 4 State Trucks battery box. The most interesting thing about this truck is the pinstriping. The artwork is detailed and there is something to see around every corner of the truck, inside and out. Kevin wanted an old western gunslinging theme with gold leaf, trains, and six shooters, all while incorporating the gold rush. Brittnea of Lady Lines Pinstriping knocked it out of the park, to say the least. One of the cool things about this artwork is that I actually got 34 10-4 Magazine / November 2025 SMALL TOWNS & BIG RIDES Some areas of Wisconsin are well known for farms dotting the landscape, rolling hills, rivers, lakes, and calming views that seem to be good for the soul. A drive to the southwest side of the state has what I described, where the pace of life might not be slower, but it definitely has that feeling, with less of the big city vibe and more of that country charm. That drive also takes you through small towns and unincorporated communities like Paoli and Basco. This happened to be the route I took to the Village of South Wayne to photograph one classy 389X, owned by Kevin Babler (42) of Kevin Babler Trucking, where small towns and big rides seem to go hand-in-hand. As a third generation of truckers in his family, it came as no surprise that as a kid, he would end up following in his father’s (Ron) and grandfather’s (Bruce) footsteps getting into the industry. Bruce started out with a trucking company in Martintown, WI called Babler Trucking, Inc. around the 30s or 40s. Kevin’s dad Ron started driving for Bruce in 1962 at the age of 18. Kevin was already driving in the yard at nine years old, and he learned how to drive mostly from his dad. After getting his CDL in 2001 at the age of eighteen, Kevin worked at his grandfather’s company driving a tri-axle milk truck making farm pick-ups every other day, and on the opposite days, he would offload and reload onto a semi, which was then hauled to bottling plants and cheese factories. After Kevin’s mom passed away, his father opted to retire and get out of trucking in 2007. Kevin decided to move to California and worked out there
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