This month’s creations were built for Jim Boeckman (50) of Hiawatha, KS. With the 389 going away, Jim wanted a few, so we ordered these two, which ended up being one number different on the VIN, which is cool. Jim owns Boeckman LLC, which operates under the DBA Moov’n Milk, which you may remember, because we have done two features on them, but those were stories about the previous owner, Roger Rison. When trying to choose which truck to feature, we decided they both turned out great, so why not “go with the flow” and do both.
Married to his wife Michelle for 20 years, the two have been together 30 years. Michelle owns Finley Miller Title Services, which she bought five years ago, after working there since 1999. Jim is the youngest of four kids from Jerry and Rose Boeckman. Jim’s mom passed away in 2016, and his parents had been married for 58 years. His dad Jerry was in the Korean War in the 1950s and came home and got a job driving a truck. 13 years later, Jim’s folks changed direction and purchased a local shoe store in Hiawatha, where they spent the next 28 years, until retirement, fitting people with their shoes.
Jim’s older brother Bob has always driven trucks and still does for a local company, and his brother-in-law Jim also trucks, hauling cattle. As far back as Jim can remember, he loved to go on trips with both Jim and Bob. When Jim was growing up, there was always a truck at his dad’s little 3-acre farm. By the time he was eight years old, he taught himself how to drive out in the pasture, saying, “By the time I got to the high side of the transmission I had to stop and turn around.” But, like most of us that have the trucking bug, it all starts somewhere.
After graduating high school, Jim went to the local votech college, then went to work in a factory, but soon realized that wasn’t for him. He began driving on weekends and evenings, and then bought his first truck at age 20 – a 1979 KW W900 – and started hauling local, asphalt, fly ash and some grain. Selling that truck in 1997, he got a driving job at Frito Lay, where he stayed for almost 10 years. After leaving Frito Lay, he started F&B with a local farmer and hauled grain and feed ingredients.
Doing what he could to stay busy, Jim also helped our friend Roger Rison as a spare driver hauling milk. Roger at the time had two trucks, and unfortunately one of his trucks was involved in a wreck and got totaled, so Jim called Roger to offer help if he needed it. Roger appreciated the offer but had already secured a truck he could borrow. However, the act of kindness would eventually lead to Jim driving for Roger full time. Jim really enjoyed the work and everything about it – the milk business is every day because the cows never take a day off!
Buying a 2010 daycab KW and tank trailer from Roger, Jim worked with Roger in that truck until he ordered a new 389 glider kit from me in 2013. Jim gave Roger a ride one time in that 389, and Roger wound up ordering several Peterbilts from me after that. We did articles on two of these trucks in October of 2015 and December of 2016. Roger had decided that he was planning on retiring, so they made a deal and Jim started buying more and more of the equipment, until Roger sold him the last trucks and trailers in March of 2020. Jim now owns ten trucks, and each one has its own unique style and look, but they have to “flow” just right.
Knowing that the 389 was going away, Jim and Michelle decided to order two of the last ones. They picked the base colors and then let me pick the stripe colors. The brown one showed up first. They have a good friend named Marc Beyer from Hiawatha, KS who worked for us for a little while and then left to start his own gig in his hometown (Beyer Body and Paint). Marc paints and hangs chrome goodies, and he was going to do all the work for Jim. After picking up the truck, they took it to Marc, and he painted it and did the rest of the modifications. A little while later the green one showed up, and I believe the stripe color options I offered gave them some sleepless nights. But, after my mom helped convince them they would be good colors, once again, Marc did an amazing job getting it done.
These two rigs are both 2024 Peterbilt 389s with 48” flattops, 565-hp X15 engines with 2050 torque, 18-speed transmissions, low air, air ride front ends, and all the good stuff. Jim wanted to give a special thanks to his great group of drivers that make Moov’n Milk possible, and Marc Beyer for the help getting the trucks dialed in and always looking top notch. Jim really likes the trucks, saying, “When I see them, they just make me smile.” Jim Boeckman believes everything needs to flow just right on his trucks, and he feels both these Peterbilt 389s ended up with that perfect “flow” and look!
