10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

COVER FEATURE - FEBRUARY 2007

A SHOW TRUCK FOR THE PEOPLE
THIS FLASHY COMBO WAS BUILT TO ENJOY
By Daniel J. Linss - Editor

Richard Harper has always strived to be different. When he was a kid, he tricked out his roller skates and his 10-speed bike, and years later, he would trick out his Kenworth truck and motorcycle too. And were not just talking about adding a few pieces of chrome – Richard wrapped most of his truck with stainless, including the entire interior, and then had his motorcycle chrome-plated to match. But this “show” truck has only seen one show, and Richard isn’t really planning on going to any more. Where he does take it, though, are to schools all across the country for disabled kids.

Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Richard wasted no time after high school and got a job at a Pepsi plant in 1984. A few years later, when he was old enough to get his license, he started driving a truck for Pepsi. He drove locally for a few years, but as soon as an opportunity presented itself, he signed-on with an outfit that hauled plastic bottles and began running long haul. Unfortunately, after only a year, Richard had his license taken away for two years because of speeding tickets.

Since he couldn’t drive a truck, he had to get another job. He found himself at a company called Performance Oil, installing gas pumps, repairing underground tanks and upgrading old pumps with the newest technology – debit and credit card readers. In the two years he was there, he learned about mechanics, fiberglass work and electronics – all skills that would come in handy later when he built his “show” truck.

One day, while working on a fuel pump at a truckstop, Richard witnessed an event that he wouldn’t soon forget. A really nice show truck pulled up to a pump and the owner began filling his tank. A young boy came out of the truckstop and went crazy when he saw the rig. He ran over to check it out, but when he got close, the owner yelled at the boy, telling him to keep his hands off his truck and to stay away. The boy was crushed. He burst into tears and ran away. Richard was appalled. He couldn’t believe how cruel that trucker was. Richard vowed right then and there that if and when he ever had a show truck, he’d let kids climb inside and touch everything.

Once he got his license back in 1991, he formed Harper Transportation and signed-on with a local company called MCH. Because he had no credit and no collateral, he couldn’t buy a truck, so he leased a tractor from Penske and went to work. The local dealer told him that he would have to drive that truck and make the monthly payments on-time for a year, and then he could buy any truck he wanted. He kept that Penske rig for three years, but when he went back to the dealer in Jackson and filled out a credit application, he was denied. Not knowing what else to do, he went to the Kenworth dealer in Dallas, Texas and filled out the same application again – only this time he was approved. Richard ended up buying the dealership’s “demo” truck right off their showroom floor. He was so excited that he drove straight from the dealership to his yard, hooked up his trailer, and took a load. In fact, a week later, someone called to ask him when he was going to pick up his car that he had left parked in front of the dealership!

What Richard didn’t know was that his new truck was a limited edition. The 1994 Kenworth W900L was one of only 200 (#127) built as “demo” models for each dealership. These special trucks had extra gauges and upgrades, as well as a one-of-kind paint scheme (Dark Metallic Purple with Sky Blue and Plum stripes). Richard kept the truck stock and worked it hard, and four years later he had it paid for. In 1997 he bought his own trailer, got his own authority, hired a broker and left MCH to become a “true” owner operator. Richard wanted to thank his friends and business advisors Ed and Wanda Perett for all of their help over the years. Without them, he would be lost in the world of trucking.

In the summer of 2004, Richard parked the truck and began to tear it down. As usual, he had some wild ideas. By then, he had a few other trucks, so he could afford to take this one out of the lineup for a while. But as it turned out, it was out of service for almost a year (eleven months to be exact), because Richard was doing all of the work himself at night and on weekends. And like we said, he had some wild ideas – like covering EVERYTHING with stainless.

Richard found a place that would sell him large sheets of stainless and bought a machine to cut it. Learning as he went along, he taught himself the fine art of fabrication. The exterior of his tractor has custom-etched, purple logos and placards, a louvered grille and tons of LED and neon lights. Wanting a custom look up front, Richard shaved the stock headlights and added single rounds on Double JJ brackets. There are many other custom pieces on the tractor, but it was inside the truck and on the trailer where he really went crazy.

Richard covered everything inside the truck with stainless except for the two front seats and the couch in the sleeper – the floor of the cab (the floor of the sleeper is marble), the ceiling, the dash, the door panels, the walls, the steering column, the seat bases, the overhead storage compartments, EVERYTHING! To keep cool in the summer, he installed aircraft insulation in the walls, and to keep warm in the winter, he installed over 300 feet of electric blanket wire in the walls, floor and ceiling of the sleeper. He has a knob on the wall to control the temperature. Decked out with purple neon lights and the latest electronics, you have to see this interior to believe it. It is truly one-of-a-kind!

Behind the truck, Richard pulls a matching 1996 Utility reefer trailer that is customized as well. Richard added custom wheel spinners to match the ones on the tractor, he wrapped the frame rails and everything else underneath with quilted and smooth stainless, had the landing gear chrome plated, built a custom square fuel tank for his reefer unit and hid it underneath between the frame rails, and added stainless mud flaps. The upper and lower rails of the trailer were polished, the front of the trailer and rear doors are stainless, and the reefer unit was covered with stainless and painted to match the truck. Like the tractor, the trailer is also covered with LED and purple neon lights.

Not only does this combination look great, but it has a lot of neat gadgets as well. From his cellular phone, using satellite technology, Richard can start his engine and reefer unit, open his air-operated hood and spin the spinners on his wheels. With its loud radio and multiple DVD screens, neon lights, wheel spinners and all that chrome, Richard attracts a lot of attention when he’s out there on the road. Yes, he does run this truck – not hard, but he runs it – taking one or two “vacations” to California each month.

He might not work the truck like he used to, but Richard still drives it all the time, taking it to schools for disabled kids across the country. While at the truck show in Dallas in 2005 (the only show he has ever competed in) he met a guy in a wheelchair named Charles who persuaded him to take his truck to a school for handicapped and disabled kids. Since then, Richard has taken his truck to several schools throughout the country. Richard loves showing off his truck to the kids, and even lets them climb inside and touch whatever they want. Richard not only introduces these kids to trucks and trucking, but uses the opportunity to uplift and motivate them to reach for the stars and chase after their dreams.

And as if the truck wasn’t enough, Richard had to go and buy himself a new motorcycle and have it chrome-plated to match. He blew the crowds away in Dallas with not only his truck but his custom motorcycle too. The bike is a 2006 Hayabusa GSX 1300R, made by Suzuki, which can go 0-100 in under four seconds. Suzuki claims it is the fastest production bike ever made and, of course, Richard had it all chrome plated – the frame, the body panels, the wheels, all of the accessories – everything except the tires, engine and seat (which is covered with ostrich and alligator skin). The bike also has custom-made spinners on both the front and rear wheels.

Currently, Harper Transportation has three trucks and three leased-on owner operators. Looking to diversify, Richard recently bought a dump truck and a wrecker, and both are doing great. If they continue to do well, Richard will buy more units and continue to expand. He’s also thinking about rebuilding the KW again, but he is having trouble justifying the expense. After all, owning a “show” truck doesn’t really pay – it just costs. He wouldn’t tell us much about what he has in mind this time, but he did mention maybe installing Lamborghini-type scissor doors.

As much as he loves his “toys” and is proud of the fact that he built them himself, he knows that they are just material possessions. What he really loves is his family and friends. Richard, who goes by the nickname “Flavor” to those who know him, has been married to his current wife Sherry for three years, and has three teenage children from his first marriage.

Growing up in Mississippi, Richard was raised in a strong Baptist home. On his business card it says, “By Grace – With Faith” which is how he lives his life – always thankful for the talents that God has given him. He built a show truck, but not for truck shows or trophies. He built it so that people (especially kids) could enjoy it. And for Richard Harper, that is reason enough.