For B-D Oil of Idaho Falls, Idaho, trucking isn’t just business – it’s a family affair. Driver and family member Jason Morton is seen here with the flagship unit of their three-truck fleet – a 2007 Peterbilt 379 pulling a beautiful (and matching) Heil tanker which, together, makes for one colorful combination that is truly a unique and very cool ride!
We first met the Mortons at a truck show held in Nampa, Idaho. Impressed with their rig, we decided to set up a full photo shoot after the Great Salt Lake Kidney Kamp Truck Show, held outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, the following month. We enjoyed spending time with the Mortons at the Salt Lake truck show, swapping driving stories and talking about the truck. They’re a great family to spend time with, and are always willing to help those around them. After a strong performance at the show, we cruised out to a local steel mill to take our pictures (special thanks go out to Cody Madsen for letting us know about and getting us into the steel mill) – its dark, industrial atmosphere was a perfect backdrop to the polished-out B-D Oil tanker.
Born and raised in Idaho Falls, ID, Jason Morton (37) is the son of B-D Oil’s owner, Terry Morton (57), who has been operating the company for over 20 years and has owned it for the past seven years. Jason has driven trucks professionally since he was 18 years old, following in his father’s footsteps, who has been a driver for his entire life (by the age of 20 Terry already owned two trucks).
Jason’s driving career had humble beginnings, learning to drive from his father in a 1979 Kenworth cabover and conventional, hauling liquid fertilizer. Following this, Jason went on to drive trucks for drag racing legend John Force for 10 years. After spending a decade traveling across the country to races, Jason returned home to drive for his father at B-D Oil. With a fleet of three bright orange rigs, B-D primarily hauls gas, diesel fuel, and motor oil in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Occasionally, when the trucks aren’t hauling fuel or oil, they sometimes pull flatbeds and grain haulers.
In an industry where image plays a big role in your interaction with your customers, B-D Oil has nailed it with their bright orange flagship 379 Peterbilt. Motivated by a turned-up, 590-hp ISX Cummins (thanks to PDI in St. George, Utah), the truck is also equipped with a 13-speed Eaton transmission routed to 3.70 rear gears. Stretched-out to a very tasteful 270-inch wheelbase, the truck sits on 22.5 low-pro tires all around.
If the color alone isn’t enough to grab your attention, plenty of other things on the truck will. Featuring a 13-inch painted visor, the truck also has a 22-inch stainless American Eagle front bumper, as well as stainless 8-inch stovepipe exhaust stacks and polished stainless steel Vortox air cleaners. Other stainless equipment on the truck includes a Peterbilt oval-punched grille, full rear fenders, and a homemade rear light bar. With an aluminum diamond plate deck plate, the truck also has cab and sleeper drop panels, as well as Fibertech drop front fenders. The truck, wrapped in a color that Jason describes as just orange, also has 42 LED lights. Interior features include orange dash panels and polished gauges, as well as carbon-fiber accents. Kept simple and spotless, the interior is neither gaudy nor boring.
The Mortons are big fans of the Denver Broncos football team, especially Lisa, Terry’s wife, which accounts for the bright orange color on all of their rigs. Their support for the Denver Broncos goes even further on their rigs, which feature a large Denver Broncos logo on the back of each sleeper. Ironically, however, Jason’s wife, also named Lisa, is a former Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleader. As we were told, game-day can be quite an interesting event at their house, with the family’s support split over the Broncos and the Cowboys.
The truck has a very squat and stout appearance, which is appropriate considering the 12,000-gallon 2010 Heil four-axle tanker the truck pulls. Painted to match, the polished tanker sits on 22.5 low-profile tires covered with polished aluminum fenders. Kept as clean as the truck, the trailer is an equally-impressive unit. Keeping things in the family, B-D Oil is proud that all of the work (except for the paint) was handled in-house.
The trucking, however, doesn’t end at father and son, as Terry’s wife Lisa drove trucks for many years, as well. With Jason’s 2-year old son, Landon, who already loves trucks, trucking will certainly remain in the Morton family blood for more generations. When the family isn’t driving, handling the B-D office or working on their trucks, they enjoy RZR riding (a type of all-terrain vehicle), camping, and, not surprisingly, going to drag races.
Jason would like to thank his wife, Lisa Morton, for all of her patience and support with trucking. Jason would also like to thank his father, Terry, and mother, Lisa, as well as Dennis at Classic Truck Collision Center and Chris at Idaho Falls Peterbilt. The Mortons would like to thank their part-time driver Ryan, Dell at Miller Metal Specialists, Henry at Little Sister’s Polishing, and all of their family and friends. We at 10-4 Magazine would like to thank the Morton family for their time and cooperation in setting up two separate photo shoots for the truck. In regards to trucking, miles means money, and we appreciate when drivers, let alone entire families, put in the effort and time to help us do what we do best.
Family is everything, and Jason and the rest of the Mortons know this. If their truck and their family can be taken as any compass for the future, we are certain this will not be the last you’ll see of B-D Oil and the Morton family. And don’t think for a moment that the truck featured here is just a show piece that doesn’t get out and work. Since the Salt Lake show, their rig has been making the rounds, hauling fuel, motor oil, and even hauling grain in and out of the fields, on a daily basis. Their rig gets as dirty as any other when it’s out working, but the Mortons never allow it to stay that way for long. Their rigs are their image, and in trucking, image is who you are and what your company is all about. And with an image as good as B-D Oil, we are happy to feature them in 10-4.
