Foss Not Voss

This month’s cool “creation” was built for Chad Foss of Amboy, Illinois. Although only 28 years old, Chad has already owned several trucks over his ten-year trucking career. Chad recently came to Clint for a glider kit, so Clint put the order together and then sent it to him for review. Chad had only one problem – he said, “My last name is Foss, not Voss.” All Clint could think to say back was, “What the F?” Apparently, it happens all the time, but eventually Clint’s quick retort became Chad’s new truck’s witty dash plaque.

Chad is the son of Glen & Pat Foss, but he did not get the trucking “bug” from them. Chad’s grandpa Gene trucked (and farmed) his entire life, hauling steel and grain from Chicago to the Quad Cities. Chad spent a lot of time with his grandpa while growing up – when he wasn’t in school, he wanted to be in a truck.

After Chad graduated from high school he bought his first truck – a 1998 KW T800 with a 62-inch flat top. His grandpa, not wanting Chad to get into trucking, said he was dumb. Two years later, when Chad added a second truck for his friend to drive, grandpa said, “You must be an idiot!” The next year, Chad got a third truck, but we can’t say what grandpa Gene said then! Gene was a one-truck operator for nearly 45 years, but he passed away about three years ago.

Throughout the ten years of his trucking career, Chad has already owned 15 trucks. One of his more memorable rides was a new Pete 379 extended hood with a 48-inch flat top painted grey and blue. Chad loved that truck, but it was burned to the ground in a shop fire when it was only three months old. Chad replaced that truck with a Legacy edition, but later traded it in for a pair of 2005 Pete 379s with 36-inch flat tops.

Chad has always ran just Illinois – he never felt the need to leave the state. After recently getting married, he decided to cut back to just one truck. Well, when you sell off a bunch of trucks and go down to just one, you want it to be something special. Having acquired a used Cat C-15 Acert and an 18-speed transmission, Chad called Clint and ordered a cool glider kit.

Inspired by his earlier truck that had burned down, Chad ordered his new Pete 389 blue with grey stripes. The rig was also ordered with a 270-inch wheelbase, an air-ride front axle with a car-hauler beam, Dura-Brite wheels, full locking differentials, Low Leaf suspension, four straps on the tanks, and a Platinum interior with all of the gauges and switches Clint could fit.

When the glider kit arrived at KC Peterbilt, Charlie in the shop did a great job of getting the drivetrain in and making it go. Jesus and the other shop guys made sure that all the right stuff got in all the right places, including Shift rear fenders, Fibertech front fenders, two of Clint’s visors (one for the front and one for the rear), painted deck plates with recessed connections, a Shox box, and front and rear window trim. Clint’s dad cut down the breather lids, and RoadWorks made cool tank bracket covers. The guys also added 8-inch straight pipes, a rear tail box, Shift breather panels, an “I-Box” between the tanks, painted cab and sleeper drop panels, and 359 double-round headlights on JJ brackets.

Like a true classic rig, Chad left all of the emblems in their factory locations. That old Cat engine and 18-speed transmission found a great new home in this slick new Peterbilt glider kit. We are sure that Chad’s grandpa would be proud, and we are sure that he is happy that Chad finally got smart and went down to just one truck!