10-4 Magazine September 2023

54 10-4 Magazine / September 2023 The year 1993 brought out popular movies such as “A Few Good Men” and “Jurassic Park” – and it also brought us the first 10-4 Magazine! In honor of 10-4’s 30th anniversary, as we celebrate 1993, that year also brought a 1993 Peterbilt 357 to the Price Transport, Inc. fleet out of Germantown, WI. This neat dump truck has become the current matriarch of the fleet and can still turn heads when working out there today. In trucking’s past, different truck models had been brought out for various applications for both on and off road. Many of these models are not forgotten as they still run the roads of America today. The Peterbilt model 357 was initially manufactured in 1986 with a striking resemblance to the 378, which came out the same year. The 357 was designed for a heavier, rugged application, such as the construction industry. As time went on, the 378 became more popular, thanks in part to a lower price tag, and they could be set up with the same specifications as a 357. Both mentioned models were discontinued around 2007. Initially forming Price Trucking, Inc. in 1991 and entering the dump truck scene out of Sussex, WI, Terry and Karla Price started with just a few trucks and drivers. Terry, a salesman at a welding supply company, would fill in as a driver for night work and on the weekends. Eventually, the welding supply company was bought by another company, with a Saturday morning meeting showing the company would not move forward in the same direction it was. That same Saturday, Terry placed a call to his Peterbilt salesman and told him to find him a dump truck by that coming Monday. The salesman laughed at the idea of finding a truck in such short notice, but things were working in Terry’s favor. On Sunday, he received a call from his salesman that he had found a truck and it was parked in Milwaukee. He told Terry to go look at it, and when he arrived where the truck was parked, it was in a fenced area that Terry couldn’t get to. He called his salesman and asked if he could drive it and the salesman said “nope” – but if he wants the truck, he would have it to go to work on Monday like he wanted. Terry hopped the fence and was sold on the truck when he opened the hood to see the big CAT underneath. That was November of 1995. Another interesting fact about this truck find was that Terry actually saw this truck in 1993 when it was brand new The Diesel Addict: By Stephanie Haas at the construction show that was held every year at the Waukesha Expo Center in Waukesha, WI. During that show, manufacturers of various construction equipment, as well as truck dealers, would set up to showcase the newest equipment available. This truck was already sold to someone else, but was on display in the Peterbilt booth. This truck was repossessed from that fenced-in lot and Terry was, in fact, in the driver’s seat that Monday morning! The truck was a solid color teal with one exhaust stack, steel wheels, a Heil dump box, single air cleaner, and was a far cry from what she looks like today. The truck has seen plenty of changes over the years, including two complete restorations. It has remained the same base colors throughout the years, and the first restoration was definitely a complete makeover, with all the work done in-house, with the exception of the paint, completed by TA Truck Painting out of Pewaukee, WI in the early 2000s. The truck received flames, which were made to look like broken rock, with a special application that hadn’t been performed before. In addition, the truck was fitted with polished wheels, dual air cleaners, single-round headlights, and dual exhaust stacks. As the yearswent on, PriceTrucking branched off and added Price Transport, Inc. to the mix, which took care of the dump truck side of the business, while Price Trucking handled the array of beautiful Peterbilt 379s pulling flatbed trailers. Keeping up with the changes in the industry, eventually Terry got out of the over-the-road game, dissolving THE MATRIARCH