Ray Rodriguez has a soft spot for his truck “The Hardway.”
He says he gave the 1988 Peterbilt 379 that name because that’s how this custom truck was built, “The hard way, from the ground up.” The owner of several award-winning custom trucks, the small fleet owner from Salinas, Calif. says this one is he is “baby.”
This is one big baby:
- 406 Cat Model B engine
- Extended hood
- Flat top
- Custom paint
“Hardway” had an easy time wowing the judges of Overdrive’s Pride & Polish event at the Great American Trucking Show in August. It won first place in the Working Combo 2000 and Older Class (Rodriguez’s “El Patron” was second) and was third in the Engine Working Truck Class (“El Patron” was second).
Rodriguez’s other show truck, “Wicked” was named Best of Show in the Limited Mileage Combo class.
See Overdrive’s 2012 video with Ray: