This month’s creation was built for Armando Covarrubias of Strapped Trucking Inc. based in Perris, CA / Leon, KS. Armando has some friends that have purchased from me in the past, so when it came time for him to update, he gave me a call. We hit it right off and away we went. Not sure what to order, he had to make some decisions, so we went through a few scenarios and wound up with what you see here – a new 567 Peterbilt with an 80” high roof sleeper.
The new truck was ordered in a legendary black cherry with an orange frame that matches his other unit. The truck has a 565-hp X15 with 2,050 torque, an 18-speed, full locking diffs, Neway ADZ 46,000-lb. rears, and a 20,000-lb. lift axle. But, for a nice look, we opted for a 5” drop axle with 315 steer tires for the “big” but still cool look. When the truck showed up, Kenny worked on hiding the DEF tank for us under the cab. Once that was done, Jesus and Pat helped me layout the stripes, then Mike was given the task of dialing the rest of the items in.
Our friend Jim Boeckman swapped our 120-gallon left tank for a matching 150-gallon fuel tank to help out. We got some aluminum Fisher fenders from our friend Steve Brown, which Cody was able to fabricate some brackets for from some of my old leftover parts (and a few new ones, as well). We added some Merritt deck plate pieces and an in-frame toolbox, as well. Our painter Jimmy sprayed the step boxes, fuel tanks, rear fenders, and all the brackets and frame parts. Right before he got here to pick it up, Armando decided he wanted the headlights painted black cherry for a final touch.
During his senior year of high school, after some adventurous decision making, Armando ended up going to night school, along with a full class schedule, in order to get enough credits to walk with his class and get his diploma on time. Straight out of high school, he landed a job at Clow Valve in Corona, CA, where he assembled fire hydrants. At the Clow valve plant, they received cast-iron pipes from a common carrier by the name of Bobby E. Trucking. They would roll in with their beautiful turquoise long hood 379 Peterbilts that looked brand new on any given day. Armando blames Bobby for giving him the trucking bug! Some might remember Bobby E. was featured on the May 1996 cover of 10-4 Magazine!!
In 2000, Armando and his then wife had a daughter named Natalie, and a few years later, they had a son named Salvador. Wanting to better his future, Armando decided to go back to school, and while going to school, he also had a full time job repairing ATM machines in Riverside, CA. With a full time job and going to school full time, he became a part time husband, and that eventually led to a divorce. Forced to hit the “reset” button, he dropped everything and asked his uncle Antonio if he would teach him how to drive a truck and help him get his CDL.
Getting his CDL in 2002, Armando hit the road with no clue of what the future had in store for him. His uncle decided to hire him with the agreement that within two years he would buy his own equipment, and he demanded that Armando get his own authority. Wanting a name that had a double meaning that represented what he did (hauled lumber and drywall) and how he did it (with a lot of straps), he came up with the name Strapped Trucking, and away he went.
While running the road, Armando found himself in Kansas more and more, and on one of those trips, a beautiful young lady caught his eye. Not sure whether she would be interested in him or not, he made her a rose out of a paper napkin to express his feelings. This eventually led to them going out, and she wound up being the love of his life – her name was Gisela Carrillo De Rosa. They’ve been married for three years now and have a daughter named Ava (3).
When Armando and his wife came to pick up the truck, there was an impending snowstorm on the way, so we ended up taking a few quick pictures out in front of the dealership, and then they were on their way. Armando and I hit it off right from the beginning, and my wife and I even visited with him at the Truckin’ For Kids show out in California in 2024. I wanted to thank Armando for his friendship, as we really have a good time every time we visit. He has a fun approach to life. He coined a phrase we seem to keep repeating over and over – America is no longer the land of the free, it has become the land of the fee. And I have to agree, we all seem to be a bit “strapped” for cash, these days!