10-4 Magazine October 2020

the trailer’s name is “Kong” because one of the drivers said it was the king of trailers, heavy and big, and it reminded him of King Kong. Lemmy sports an American Eagle bumper, 8-inch Dynaflex stacks, full Hogebuilt stainless-steel fenders, an Iowa Customs under glow kit, and a 12 Ga. Customs floor. The Cadillac pearl white dash panels and floor were painted by Bob Jaeger of Jaeger Auto Body in Guttenberg, who is also responsible for Friday Trucking’s decals. Dean installed all of the custom accessories himself, including the Motometer hood ornament and hood grab handles. What makes this truck unique is the attention to detail on the retro “old school cool” paint scheme, which is a variation of the old Tuxedo paint scheme. Dean outfitted the truck with all stainless-steel custom parts, versus fiberglass or plastic, like the big heavy drop fenders on the trailer. All-in-all, the truck is both a head-turner and tastefully done. Having learned many lessons along the way, Dean models his company after a man who is no longer with us – Bob Tauke of Tauke Transfer in Cascade, IA. Bob would talk to Dean about his held positions such as a night dispatch assistant, handling night breakdowns, and shop foreman. At his last job, not only was he a mechanic and the shop foreman, but on the weekends, he ran locally hauling milk loads. This same company, G-Line Trucking based out of Dyersville, IA, had a driver quit under a load that was destined for Atlanta, GA and the boss asked if Dean would handle it – and handle it, he did. Five weeks later, he returned home and said he was done busting his knuckles, and was ready to get on the road full time. March 25, 2007, Dean married his wife Arian. Fast forward to September 2016, when they embarked on the new journey of starting their own company and purchasing a 2013 Peterbilt 389. That truck gave them too much grief, so they decided in August 2017 to order a truck to their specifications, one that would be exactly what they wanted. Going through Fitzgerald, they started with a blank canvas. After being sent a photo of a black 389 chassis, Dean said it was “black as the ace of spades” and, as you can see from the photos, it stuck. They took delivery of the finished truck on December 5, 2017. The truck is a 2017 Peterbilt 389 Fitzgerald Glider Kit with a 630-hp 12.7 Detroit, an 18-speed transmission, 3:55 rears, and a 275” wheelbase. The black and pearl white rig pulls a 53-foot 2019 Great Dane refrigerated trailer with a Thermo King Precedent S700 unit, and features a 12-foot fixed spread axle and has double insulation throughout the trailer. As previously mentioned, Dean and Arian named the truck “Lemmy” after the lead singer of Motorhead, and 10-4 Magazine / October 2020 33