This month’s creation was built for Clinton Childs (26) of Gunnison, Utah. Thanks to a great work ethic and a few people who took a chance on this young man, Clinton has accomplished a lot in his few years, which, among other things, has allowed him to buy the sweet brand new Peterbilt seen here. Although one of his favorite songs is about wasting time, which also spurred the name of this truck, Clinton is not much of a time-waster, by any means.
After his parents divorced when he was young, they both remarried, and they are both still married to those people. After the split, Clinton lived with his mom and step-dad (Allison and Jed) in St. George, Utah until he was 12 years old. At that point, wanting to help out on the family farm, he moved in with his dad and step-mom (David and Trudy) in the small town of Gunnison, Utah. Along with working on the farm, his 
dad has been a trucker his entire life, mostly hauling coal. Clinton is close with both sides of his family, and has several siblings, including an older sister (Annalee), two younger step-brothers (Garrett and Landon), and two younger half-sisters (Olivia and Riley).
From the very beginning, Clinton wanted to work. When he was fourteen he started helping out on a dairy next to their farm. They had an old KW manure truck with a set of sticks which was the first truck Clinton ever drove. He immediately fell in love with trucks and never looked back.
Once he turned 18, Clinton began hauling coal with his dad, who taught him the ropes. When he was 21 he started pulling a walking floor trailer. A couple years later, he got the opportunity to buy his own 2007 extended-hood flattop Peterbilt from a guy named Jared Caruso. Although Jared did not know Clinton at all, he went out on a limb for him and financed the truck. I guess it worked out, because the two still work together today! Clinton ran that truck for only about one year, and then he decided to buy a new (compliant) truck. So, after a recommendation from Jared, Clinton called Clint.
When it came time to order the rig, Clinton wanted two certain colors – a combination that other people already had. Wanting a two-tone baby blue and dark blue scheme, Clinton thought that it really wouldn’t be a big deal because he lived so far away from those other east coast trucks, but the day after he took the truck home, he realized that the reach of the internet made it a bigger deal than he had expected. Neil Dykman and Mike Horst both had trucks with nearly the exact same colors, but you know what they say, “Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery,” so they should be pretty happy that someone liked their trucks enough to want the same colors.
The truck is a 389 extended-hood flattop with a 294-inch wheelbase. Once it came in, Clint and his team installed one of Clint’s visors, half fenders on hidden brackets, Clint’s dad chopped the air cleaner screens, the DEF tank was hidden, and the guys in the shop painted the dash panels to match the exterior. After Clinton took it home, he installed dummy pipes (it has a factory weed-burner system), five old-school cab lights, and a polished aluminum deck plate. Clinton also had a Horst air-ride kit installed on the front to get the rig super low (Mike had no hard feelings). The dash plaque says “WASTIN TIME” and was inspired by one of Clinton’s favorite songs by Colt Ford (the song is actually called “Waste Some Time” – it’s got a great beat – check it out on YouTube if you get the chance).
At only 26 years old, Clinton Childs has worked hard and already has a lot to show for it. He currently hauls livestock for C&J Cattle Co. out of Richfield, Utah. Something that was once said to him that has motivated this young man to get ahead and build a meaningful life came from the wife of one of his previous employers. After the man died unexpectedly, his widow told Clinton, “Live life for yourself, otherwise you will just end up living someone else’s dream – not your own!” Words he still thinks of often, and sage advice for anyone wondering how to live a better life.
