This month’s creation was built for Michael Carney (38) of Clayton, DE. Being a member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, over the last eight years Michael has tried to learn more about his Native American heritage. At 32 years old he received his Indian name, which is chosen for you. “Far Traveler” is the name they chose for him, which seems fitting. His three children – Austin (13), Rachael (10) and Sara (4) – will be getting their names soon, and he is excited to see what they get. He wants his kids to know and not forget about their heritage.
One of eight kids, Michael is the youngest, and his only other sibling that trucks is the oldest brother Frasier Carney. His dad Norman “Jake” Carney died in 1998 at the age of 64 and his mom, Renie Carney, is still alive and lives around the corner. Michael’s dad was a trucker and a full-blooded Lenni-Lenape Indian, and his mom is part Cherokee. Michael met his wife Mandie in 1995 while still in high school and the two have been together ever since (married since 2003). By the time Michael graduated he already owned a truck – a black 1984 Peterbilt 362 COE with a double bunk and a sweet-sounding Cat. After graduation, he went to “trucking college” hauling grain and running local until he turned 21.
Running the 1984 for a couple years, he then bought another COE – a 1985 Peterbilt 362 single bunk in his favorite color – blue. As soon he turned 21, Michael got a reefer and went long distance trucking, living the dream, running to places like Florida and California, along with other destinations in the Midwest. For a short time, he pulled a cattle trailer, and on one of those trips he ran across someone that had trucked with his dad and grandfather. His grandpa George Carney wasn’t Amish, but he used a horse and buggy to go to town and horses to work the ground. I guess he didn’t really like things that ran on gas much. The only vehicle he ever bought was a 1955 Chevy pickup, and in 2004, when it sold, it only had 1,400 miles on it!
Recently operating a sweet white 1983 Pete 362 COE, his wife Mandie, who is an accountant at a local law firm, told him he should get a new truck. Responding, “I like my cool old trucks,” she eventually convinced him that he could run more and make more if he had a new truck that did not require so much work. A friend of his, Eddie Braun, told him to call me, so he did. Michael and I hit it off, and I got him approved to buy a blue truck we had on the lot. Wanting to think about it, the truck sold to someone else! He was like, “Man, I had my heart set on that new truck, what else you got? My favorite color is blue.” The only “cool” one we had on the lot was Legendary Brown, but he said, “Okay!”
The truck is a 2020 Peterbilt 389 with a 48” flattop, a 280” WB, a 565-hp X15 Cummins hooked to a 13-speed, LowAir suspension on a car-hauler front axle, and Platinum tan interior with all the gauges and switches. After picking out the stripes and colors, Pat went to work laying out the cream stripes with gold outlines, adding glass flake to the gold for some added pop to match that Legendary Brown. Pat also painted the air and fuel tanks, door handle cups and old-school breathers. After that, Jake hid the DEF tank, swapped out the stock headlights for dual squares with painted buckets and added small stainless body skirts. Then, he installed glass cab lights, dump valves, dummy stacks with guards and Hogebuilt quarter fenders.
After the truck was finished and we went to the park to take the pictures, Michael was like, “It hasn’t sunk in yet. I feel like I am looking at a cool new truck but can’t hardly believe it is mine!” When you are used to driving old trucks, like Michael, a new one takes a little time to get used to. He currently pulls a reefer between the Central US and the East coast and can’t wait to do some “far traveling” in it!