A second chance is an opportunity to correct or improve something of worth or simply to recycle and/or re-purpose something. In this case, Mike Marty (50) of Creston, OH did both when he saved this old cabover Kenworth (a former Werner truck) from the scrap heap and gave it a second chance at life – and put a whole lot more worth into this beauty, as well, piecing it together with various parts and pieces from the junkyard and two donor trucks. And the end result is nothing short of awesome.
Mike’s grandfather John owned a milk truck, back when they hauled milk in cans, on the back of a truck. Richard, Mike’s dad, started when he was 16. Later, Richard would start his own milk hauling business, and eventually had two milk trucks, three OTR freight trucks, and also farmed. The freight trucks were leased to an outfit called Special Service Transportation (SST) out of Medina, OH pulling 45’ dry van trailers. When Mike was about ten or eleven years old, his father Richard and his mom Sherryl sold the trucks and the farm after a frustrating year of engines blowing up and a driver rolling a truck over.
Mike’s dad Richard took a job working for Welker Trucking, hauling for the Stouffer’s plant in Solon, OH. Mike would go trucking with his dad whenever he could. At just 15 years old, before he had his license, Mike drove for the first time. It was late at night, and they were going across I-70, and his dad was really tired, so he laid down and let Mike drive through Columbus, OH. After that, Mike was hooked and drove whenever he could with his dad.
When Mike was a junior in high school, he would often spend the night at his friend Brad’s house, whose family owned Hartzler’s Feed Mill. One day, Brad said, “We have a lot of bags of feed to deliver. Why don’t you come and give me a hand.” From that day on, Mike worked at the feed mill and never missed a day. In fact, to this day, Mike has never had to apply for a job or fill out a job application! When Mike was a senior in high school, he signed himself out of school to take the book test portion for his CDL test in March. A few months later, when he was done with school, he took the actual driving test, passed it, and got his license at 18 years old.
Not long after getting his CDL, Mike got the opportunity to start driving for the feed mill. Brad’s dad, Dick, had a truck that went over to Indiana once a week to get feed ingredients, and it was the driver’s job to unload the trailer that had an auger on it. Dick asked Mike, “You know how to back up, right?” and Mike replied, “Yep.” And so, it began. Mike had many conversations with his dad, wondering how he was going to get started trucking at just 18 years old, but the whole feed mill deal just flowed seamlessly and it all came together.
Shortly thereafter, around 1994, Mike met his future wife Dana on a double date. At the time, she was dating Mike’s best friend, but I guess at some point she came to realize she liked Mike better! After dating for six years, they got married in September 2000. Today, they have three kids that are all young adults now – Emma (23), Evan (22), and Ethan (19) – and both of the boys are involved in the trucking business with their dad. More on that later.
Ever since Mike started driving for the feed mill, he was trucking hard, pulling a walking floor, and going south hauling cotton seed. He did two trips a week and would get home on Friday. On Saturday, he would reload in either Cleveland, Loudonville, or Logan, OH. Then, on Sunday, after getting home from church, he would eat lunch and then was gone again. After Hartzler’s Feed Mill went under, Mike went to Commodity Blenders of West Salem, OH. Later, he went to work at Hostetler Trucking in Dalton, OH. With small children at home now, Mike’s schedule was killing him – he was at a breaking point. He told Dana he was done, and that he was going to be a truck salesman, because he wanted to around more for his kids.
Around that same time, they met a couple and became friends. The wife was finding her husband’s loads, and he was pulling a flatbed. This really got them thinking. Mike was not a computer guy, but Dana was a dental assistant, and she knew how to use computers and talk to people. Mike just wanted to drive the truck. Dana agreed to do all the dispatching, looking for freight, and filing all the paperwork. At the time, she wasn’t into trucking, but she knew that she didn’t want him leaving on Sundays anymore, so off they went!
Dmar Trucking was established in October 2008. A month later, Mike sold his feed-hauling truck and trailer and bought a Kenworth W900L and an old flatbed from Ravens. Dana filed for their authority on her own, not knowing she could have paid someone to do it for them. But she got it done. The first load Dana got for Mike was out of Canton, OH to Philadelphia, PA for Monday morning, so he had to leave on Sunday. I guess that whole “not leaving on Sundays” deal was out the window! But when you’re first getting started, you gotta do what you gotta do.
The night before leaving for that first load, Mike was a little stressed out about the whole thing, but his dad was able to calm him down, saying, “Quit looking at this huge picture, and just focus on the next load.” So that is what he did. Today, 17 years later, they mostly haul flatbed stuff, but no oversize. They like to stay in the state of Ohio, but they’ll go anywhere. The main products they haul include landscaping materials, steel, barn stone, sandstone and military freight. They also do some reefer work, too, and mostly haul eggs.
Mike first saw this old cabover for sale in the Truck Paper about eight years ago in Cameron, TX. Driving straight through to Cameron, Mike purchased the 1989 Kenworth K100E with a 112” Aerodyne sleeper and 400-hp B-model Cat and brought it home. Back then, it was primer gray with a little light blue mixed in (probably from its Werner days) and rode on a 168” wheelbase. Since then, a lot has changed.
Going back to getting second chances, not only was this truck given a second chance, but a lot of the parts used to rebuild it were salvaged from the junkyards or old parts trucks. Mike bought a 1981 K100C for just $400 and got many valuable parts for his KW off it. Parts like the front springs and drag links, the front fenders, the headlight buckets, air cleaner brackets, intake and exhaust brackets, the dash, visor and the grill. Mike then bought a 2015 KW T660 chassis and had the frame of his cabover cut where the transmission mounts, then had the cutoff welded in place from the T660, which updated the frame rails in the back, along with the differentials, rear suspension, and disc brakes. The truck now rides on a 250” wheelbase.
Re-purposing more older parts, the battery box came off a Freightliner, and the air cleaners came off a Peterbilt 379. The KW had ball and seat rims on the front and hub piloted on the rear, and Mike kept it that way. Although the barrels of the fuel tanks were replaced, the guy who did it kept the original caps and ends. When you look at Mike’s fuel tanks they still have “1989” stamped on the caps. The only new items that were installed on the truck included a new 5th wheel, the exhaust system, and some small stuff. The B-model Cat was also upgraded and re-powered to around 500 horsepower and is backed with a 13-speed transmission.
I first met the Marty family at the Kenworth 100th anniversary show in Chillicothe, OH. I had seen this truck being built on the “Nobodyz Garage” page on Instagram, which is run by Steve Troyer. I was surprised to see the truck in Chillicothe, but very happy to see it in person. This is the second truck I have shot that Steve Troyer built. Steve also built Jeff Miller’s ‘58 Peterbilt 351, which we featured in the December 2019 edition of 10-4 Magazine. Steve has been customizing trucks and other vehicles his entire life, tinkering around with everything he has owned. These days, he’s so busy that he doesn’t share what he’s doing on social media. He’s as busy as he wants to be, but I hear he’s still working on some cool stuff.
In May 2024, two big celebrations occurred at the Marty’s household – their daughter Emma finished nursing school and Ethan, the younger boy, graduated from high school. Like his father, he had his CDL shortly after graduating, and now, at just 19 years old, he already has two trucks. One of those trucks is a ‘95 Kenworth W900L with a Studio sleeper. This was a restoration project for the Marty Boys, who all worked together to make the truck roadworthy and looking good. Painted black with a blue vinyl stripe, this KW turned out really nice.
Older brother Evan is also involved with the family operation, and he drives a red 2003 KW W900L Aerocab. Evan has been helping his mom and dad build the business and running lots of local freight around Ohio. Now that Ethan is driving but isn’t old enough to leave the state, he’s taken over much of the local stuff so Evan could start stretching his legs and running a little further. Making two trips to Georgia per week hauling eggs, Evan is loving it but is definitely looking forward to getting back to the flatbed work soon. I would like to thank Evan because he had some great ideas for places to shoot the cabover.
Always one to make a plan, Mike usually has five different plans, including several backup plans, just in case the first ones don’t go right. But Mike is not afraid to try something new, either, and his boys, Evan and Ethan, are his right hand guys. He is very proud of all they have accomplished so far!
I would like to thank the Marty family for the wonderful photo shoot, interview, and hospitality. It was a warm day when we did the shoot, and it just happened to be National Ice Cream Day! Evan insisted on getting ice cream, and it hit the spot! Here’s wishing Mike a happy birthday this month (March 6). We appreciate that you gave this cool old cabover a second chance, and let us tell your trucking story, too!