This month’s cool “creation” was built for Mike Imhof of Herald, CA. Because it looks like it has primer for paint (which it doesn’t), a few folks said that it looked like a work in progress, and from there, the name (and joke) sort of stuck. But, since most trucks are considered to be “works in progress” by their owners, the funny comment really wasn’t that far from the actual truth.
Mike (54) is the son of immigrant parents who came to the United States from Switzerland and Germany. After meeting and getting married, they opened a bakery called Geneva Bakery in San Francisco, CA. Later, they opened a second location (called The Relish Bakery) in Daly City, CA. When Mike was growing up, he spent a lot of time in those bakeries. His father, who had an “old-school immigrant” mentality, taught him the value of hard work and to save his money.
After high school, Mike went to work in a machine shop. Back then, one of his neighbors had a 1956 needle-nose Peterbilt 262 with a 5×4 transmission. After going out on a few runs with his neighbor in that cool classic Peterbilt, Mike decided that trucking was what he wanted to do, so he bought his first truck – a 1974 Mack. In 1982, Mike bought a new Peterbilt 359 and started running a van between San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix for Kenway Trucking. After that, he got into hauling “dirty dirt” (which was a good gig, while it lasted).
In 1997, Mike was ready to buy another truck, but wanted to shop around. He got in his car and drove to dealerships in Idaho, Kansas City and then Dallas, checking out what they had on the lot and seeing what kind of deal they were willing to make. In the end, Mike came back to K.C. Peterbilt and bought a truck from Clint. Mike drove that 1998 Pete 379 up until the time he traded it in for the new Peterbilt seen here.
Mike’s new truck is a 2013 Peterbilt 389 with a 48-inch flattop, an ISX 525 Cummins, an 18-speed transmission, Low Low suspension, a car-hauler front axle, and a “modest” wheelbase (so he could still get into those tight places). Wanting something a little different, they ordered the truck with an unpublished grey color on the body and frame. Once it came in, Clint’s dad chopped the breather screens and then the guys polished everything out. After that, they installed one of Clint’s visors, hubcaps and nut covers, a set of low-rider quarter fenders, and then it was off to the park to take some pictures.
Currently pulling a reefer on the west coast, Mike is a steady guy. He has been with his wife Linda for 26 years, and, through his step-son Benjamin, has two grandchildren – Blake (15) and Hannah (10). Mike is a proud grandparent and he loves spending time with his grandkids!
The color of this truck sparked a lot of questions, even at the dealership, with everyone wondering what color Clint was going to paint it. When told it is already painted, everyone said, “Oh, it looked liked a work in progress.” And even though this truck may always be a work in progress, one thing is for sure – it is exactly where Mike Imhof wants (and needs) it to be!