BILL MEAD’S SANCTUARY
THE LATEST PROJECT FROM CLINT MOORE
This month’s “creation” was built for Bill Mead out of Imperial, CA. Growing up on a farm, Bill (56) has been hauling ag-related freight all of his life. Today, hay is his product of choice, running it from Southern California to Arizona on a regular basis. He has had many trucks over the years, but his latest rig, the one pictured here, is his favorite. Bill and his friend Dusty (see Clint’s April 2008 article) ordered their trucks at the same time and went to Clint’s place in Kansas City to pick them up together.
Bill Mead was born into a farming family in Nebraska. His grandparents owned a cattle ranch and feed mill. When times got tough, they sold the ranch to save the feed mill. Later, the family migrated west to Wyoming. Bill remembers it being very cold there. In 7th grade he drove an old 1952 Studebaker with no doors hauling silage. Their regular drivers had nice trucks, but Bill’s dad wanted him to learn on a beater truck, so he got stuck with the Studebaker. After that, the family moved even further west, setting up shop in Yuma, Arizona. This is where Bill got to drive his first semi at 16 years old - it was a Freightliner pulling a grain trailer.
In high school Bill was a track star. In 1970 he won the State Championships by running the fastest mile, which earned him a scholarship to Arizona State. After graduating in 1974 with a degree in Ag Industry, he went to work for a sugar company in Phoenix, Arizona. He stayed there for five years (he was a manager) until 1979 when he moved to where he calls home now - Imperial, California. For the next ten years he worked for various hay brokers and produce farmers, and then went out on his own. In 1989 he purchased a hay squeeze and became an owner-operator.
Over the years Bill has had several trucks including Peterbilt and Freightliner cab-overs, a couple Peterbilt 379 conventionals and a 2005 Freightliner Century, which he ran until he picked up this new Peterbilt from Clint. When Bill called to order his new truck, he talked his friend Dusty into ordering one, too. They came out together to pick up their new rides and had a great time hanging out with Clint for a few days. Clint calls Bill “BMT” and Bill calls Clint “out to lunch” (it seemed that Clint was always “out to lunch” whenever Bill tried to call him). Once the two California boys got to Clint’s place, they realized that he is always kind of out to lunch!
Bill likes the simple, clean look, so that is how they ordered and built his new truck - a 2008 Peterbilt 388 with a 48-inch flattop Unibilt sleeper. Painted Galaxy Blue with a Light Silver Metallic frame, the two-axle truck features a 525 Cummins ISX, 13-speeds, Reyco low-air, a car hauler front axle and a 228-inch wheelbase. Once the truck arrived at the shop, Clint and his crew installed a painted bowtie visor, nine real cab lights, a set of custom breather lights, hidden hood latches, Hogebuilt quarter fenders, a rear light bar and flush-mount deck plates. Clint’s dad chopped the screens on his air cleaners and then helped them mount a real train horn underneath. The guys also moved Bill’s seats back for more legroom and then painted the fuel tanks and body drop panels to match the truck. To complete the build, they pulled the entire dash and painted it Galaxy Blue to match the exterior. While his truck was being built, Bill had his set of Utility combo flats painted to match the truck.
When Bill is not driving his truck, he likes to go camping in the mountains or spend time at the local sand dunes. Bill and his wife Tara have been married for nine years. The couple has a four-year-old son named Brady and a brand new ten-week-old daughter named Hayden. Bill loves to take Brady out on the road with him and Brady loves the late night snacks he gets to eat.
Bill says his new truck is no show winner, but it suits him fine. And at 56 years old and with two small kids at home, he considers this new truck to be a “sanctuary” - a place where he can get away from all the noise and just relax. Because of this fact, he normally drives with the CB turned off. So if you see BMT out on the road, he might not hear you when you give him a shout, so just give him a wave and a thumbs-up instead.
~ If you would like Clint Moore to order and/or build you a new custom truck, contact him at Kansas City Peterbilt via e-mail at clintmoore@kcpete.com or call him at (913) 441-2888. You can also visit his website at www.custombuiltfor.com and check out pictures of other custom trucks he has built.