JANUARY 2011 OLD TIME TRUCKS
KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE
By Old Truck Nuts John & Shirley Sponholtz
Geoffrey Roberts of Baxter Springs, Kansas is the proud owner of this 1970 International 4070A Transtar. It was originally a Jones Truck Lines road tractor, purchased new in 1970 for $19,500. The truck is powered by a naturally aspirated 250 hp Cummins engine, backed by a 9510 Roadranger transmission, and has a Hendrickson walking beam suspension. The five-window cab design was almost exclusive to Jones tractors up until the mid 1970s when they went to non-sleeper units. All Jones tractors were tandem axle, as they transported both LTL and truckload freight, and pulled both van and 24’ pup trailers until the 1980s. As a result of deregulation, Jones transitioned to only LTL freight and primarily double-trailer setups with single axle tractors. Geoff bought this tractor in 2007 from Kenneth R. (Red) Sharver of Monett, Missouri. This tractor, No. 800, is dedicated to Dwayne Wagner, a long-time JTL driver out of Wichita, Kansas (his truck would have looked very similar to this one). The old Transtar is seen here pulling a 40’ 1965 American van, an original JTL trailer with its original number (#1483). It was used for storage for many years in Lebanon, Missouri before Geoff found it behind a strip mall. Although Jones often operated equipment older than its competition, everything was always kept in top shape. Geoff is keeping up that tradition with his careful maintenance on this old JTL rig.