10-4 Magazine October 2024

14 10-4 Magazine / October 2024 about the future, Brandon said that he and Tyler have set a goal of owning and operating a fleet of 50 trucks one day. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Along with their daily drivers, the Emmons boys also have a few “classics” out in the shed. We already mentioned Donnie’s black and white 1998 Peterbilt 379, which has a custom interior and is beautiful, but Brandon also has a blue and white 1972 Peterbilt cabover, and Tyler has a white and green 1995 Kenwor th K100E cabover with a small Aerodyne sleeper, a 425 CAT, and an 18-speed. This cool little truck came from California and has less than 700,000 miles on it. There is also a 1980 Freightliner FLC and a 1973 Freightliner cabover out in the shed, too. Taking pride in what they do, Emmons & Sons is all about customer service and building relationships. One of those great relationships was with Arsenio Rodriguez, who owned Quality Truck Sales (QTS) in Springfield, MO. Donnie bought almost every truck he’s ever owned from him. Coincidentally, back in our March 2015 edition, Arsenio and his operation was featured in a “Trucker Talk” ar ticle (Living The Dream) by our longtime contributor Kim Jaikes (then Kim Grimm). Arsenio has since sold out, retired, and moved to Florida, but Donnie really liked this guy and loved doing business with him. All of the boys wanted to thank their wives for their love, suppor t, and patience, and they all wanted to thank Jody (AKA mom) for holding everything together. Donnie also wanted to thank all their drivers for doing such a great job and keeping their customers happy. These guys don’t like the new stuff, they like the older stuff. Older trucks look good, are affordable, and are easy to work on – what’s not to like? “Clinging to the Classics” is more than just a story headline for these guys... it’s a way of life! n half old. The couple met in high school and have been together ever since. Erin is now a teacher. And, oddly enough, even though twins do not run in the Emmons family, Tyler and his wife Karlee have twin boys that are just three months old! Tyler missed their bir th, as he was out on the road truckin’ when they decided it was time to be delivered (pun intended), and he couldn’t make it home in time. Being very industrious, even as a child, Donnie has obviously passed that trait on to his boys. Donnie bought his first piece of proper ty, two acres, at the ripe old age of 13 – he went to the bank and got a loan and everything – for $6,000. At that time, he had several jobs, including working for the Township and some local farmers, along with doing a rural paper route. Later on, he sold that proper ty and used the money as the down-payment on the current house he and Jody still live in today. When asked COOL... it’s not a look, it’s not an image, it’s a state of mind! BEFORE REBUILD