12 10-4 Magazine / October 2026 The engine is a 550-hp Cummins ISX, and it came complete with the DPF filter, the DEF tank, and everything else needed to make it work. And, after further inspection, they found that the engine only had 11,000 miles on it, and that the truck it came out of was not wrecked, but instead stolen, and whatever the thieves took off it, deemed it a total loss in the eyes of the insurance company – which was a total win for Jim! With low miles, no wrecked parts to replace, and ready to drop in, the best part was the price (only $27,000). Since then, the price of these engines has skyrocketed. The real question was, would it fit, and could they make it work. And the answer was a resounding, yes! And, unless the rules are changed again, this truck would be 100% compliant moving forward indefinitely. After a few small modifications by Brian Adams, the mechanic in Kevin Scarpete’s shop, the engine was placed in the chassis. Needless to say, it was not an easy installation – it barely fit. In fact, they had to re-clock the turbo and shave a few rivets to get it in properly. Both of the fuel tanks on each side were moved back to accommodate the DPF filter (on the passenger side) and the DEF tank (on the driver’s side). The truck was also converted to a weed burner exhaust underneath, so the single 6” stack is just a dummy pipe. Dropping the “new” 1989 donor cab on the chassis with the help of a large piece of timber pushed through the side windows of the cab and a hay squeeze, Jim kept it the same color it came for the first few years. The cab came from a CARB turn-in truck from Brazil Hay out of Los Banos, CA, originally found in a junk yard, so the frame was cut off just behind the cab and there was no engine in it. The biggest challenge of this build was the wiring, but Brian got it done, even though the shop was covered in a spaghetti mess of wires for a while. Put in service in June of 2017 after about a year of work was done, the truck still has the original bumper that came with it, the cab lights were changed out to watermelons, blinkers were added to the mirrors, 2-sided watermelon running lights were added to each side of the cab, and a few “double bubbles” were added to the sides of the header board, which features painted red diamonds, done by his wife, on the plywood inserts. The hay bed was custom-built by Jim and his friend Anthony Hawkins, the trailer is a refurbished 1966 Fruehauf, and lights were added down the sides of both. The cab was painted in the Brazil colors of silver with blue and magenta stripes, and Jim kept it that way until 2019, at which point everything got sprayed in the Solar yellow, Viper red, white and black paint it sports today. Brazil Hay is still in business and they have nice trucks, and they were excited to see the old cabover – still in their colors – out on the road earning its keep for a while. Jim is a simple and practical guy, so he did not embellish this truck with hardly any fancy accessories – he didn’t even install any quarter fenders, citing the fact that they add unnecessary weight. The mostly stock interior is blue, which doesn’t really match the exterior colors now, but he figured, “It’s in perfect shape, and nobody is gonna sit in here but me, so why change it!” Moving from Petaluma to Williams, CA in 2018, the following year he found and purchased an old Merritt cattle box and pull trailer out of Klamath Falls, OR to expand his operation to hauling livestock. Constructing a stand for his yard, Jim could mount or dismount the cattle box, on his hay bed, fairly easily. A cattle truck and trailer combination is not very popular these days, but in some instances, it is the required setup to get in or out of some locations. To help with the livestock part of his operation and do less swaps, Jim purchased a white and red 1996 Freightliner cabover truck and trailer that was a dedicated cattle truck. This way, depending on the haul he had that day, he could take either truck #3 (the hay truck and trailer) or truck #4 (the cattle truck and trailer). As this part of his operation became a larger portion of his income, Jim decided to buy a new 3-axle truck to pull traditional livestock trailers. Ordering truck #5, a brand-new KW W900B in 2024, the flat-glass truck features a 42” sleeper, a 565-hp Cummins X15, an 18-speed, 3.25 rears, a 265” wheelbase, and a factory-ordered wind fairing (yes, those are still available from the factory). Jim ordered the truck in Solar yellow with a white roof and then sent the truck to Transportation Services in Sacramento, CA for the red, white and black stripes to match the cabover. Eric Sedletzky did all the hand lettering, including the silver leaf on the door logos, and added the lettering up on the wind fairing, as well. At this point, he sold truck #4, so he now has truck #2 (Old Blue), truck #3 (the hay truck and trailer featured here), and truck #5 (the Kenworth W900B). I first saw Jim’s truck (the Kenworth) at a charity show in Red Bluff, CA in May 2026. At that point, I had never seen or even heard of Hay Fever Trucking. Since I am such a big fan of those B-model Kenworths, and I really liked the old-school vibe of Jim’s rig (and the name of his company), it was one of my favorites at that show. Afterwards, I did some digging online and saw a picture of the old Freightliner cabover truck and trailer – another one of my absolute favorites – so now I was very interested. And once I talked to Jim and he explained how the old Freighltiner was 100% CARB-compliant, I was sold! A few weeks later, we found ourselves up in Williams, CA shooting the cabover. He still doesn’t have his own cattle trailer, but Jim did pull for Erik Prouty out of Corning, CA for about a year after he got the Kenworth, still hauling hay on the side, when he had the time and loads were available. The busy months for hauling cattle are April to June (when the herds get moved north), and then again in October to December (when they get brought back down south), and since hay moves year-round but is busiest in the summer, it works out good for Jim. In addition to his trucking operation, Jim also offers squeeze services to other hay haulers. Not looking to add any trucks or build a fleet, Jim likes things the way they are, but might consider doing more subhauling in the future.
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