Images and Interests
‘Dark Angel’ is the name my dear friend Kim Grimm has given to her showpiece 2007 Peterbilt 379. The reason for the name is partially because this truck is black (hence the dark) but mostly because it stands in memorial for some very special people who have preceded us to heaven, hence, the angel. First of all was our wonderful friend and mentor Bette Garber, trucking photojournalist and author of 4 books on the industry, trucks and drivers she loved so vehemently. She loved it so much; in fact, she even went to truck driving school and earned her CDL!
Kim also honored her friend Linwood Hunt who was leased to the same carrier as her, D & G Transportation out of Germantown, Wisconsin for many years. She, Linwood and Bette spent many hours trucking together, so it was only natural to add his name as well.
There are so many others who are remembered throughout this gorgeous truck, in fact, when Kim turned it over to the identical twin brothers Dave & Dan Brown at DB Kustom Trucks from Antioch, Il. (who I wrote about last year) to redo her interior, they kept her theme in the forefront the entire build. The brothers had their crew strip the entire cab and sleeper down to the skeleton and started from the ground up.
What they ended up with is a finished product any driver (including this one!) would be VERY proud to own and drive! There are hand scraped wood floors, then EVERYTHING inside has been painted, either Iridium Metallic or Legendary red. The seats were removed and replaced with new Legacy Silver ones that were customized with Dark Angel as well as DB Kustom’s name in red, silver and black. The same treatment on the doors with the name Dark Angel stitched into the upholstery, it all blends together into a stunning look.
The only thing they had removed that was put back is a shelf Kim and her friend Tamie had made for the back wall of the sleeper, which holds her angel collection. It has some truly beautiful pieces on it, including one angel that plays a flute, which represents my sister Wendy, who passed in 1997. Kim didn’t know she had played a flute, just that she had to add that angel. I told her why she had to have that particular angel and we both cried. There is a fabric behind the collection that has a glittery surface on it which looks like stars in the night sky, it is truly beautiful and awe inspiring.
The angels on it and in it represent many people, there’s one for little baby Emma Jean Higbee who we lost recently before her 2nd birthday. There’s one for my mom who we lost November 23, 2005 after retiring from driving only a few months. There’s one for Debbie Brown, who we lost a year ago in January, another for Karen Zander who we lost last November, and another for Jerry Jeffries who recently passed. As hard as it is to add these angels, this is, unfortunately, a part of life. This truck will continue to roll along and honor those we have loved and lost, they will NOT be forgotten!
Kim had her truck entered in the PKY competition at Louisville last week and, even though she didn’t place, considers herself and her truck to be winners. I have to agree. I watched as she allowed anyone who wanted to get up inside of her truck do so, and the smiles she received as payment? PRICELESS! But, in all the years I have known Kim, this is something she has always done, even if we were stopped in a rest area or a truck stop. Especially for a child, if a child wants to get in her truck, she has one rule; you have to give her a big smile when you do! THOSE are memories that will last a lifetime! And talk about passing out goodwill for our industry?!? It just doesn’t get better than that! Kim and her spectacular truck make fantastic ambassadors for us all.
I can’t say enough about the job the guys at DB Kustom Trucks have done on her interior either! It is truly stunning! I didn’t realize until now, that the brothers were willing to do work on trucks other than those for their own drivers. Dave told me at Louisville that yes, they can, and will do custom interiors or paint jobs, different customizing things that they routinely do as a PART of the entire build on their own trucks for others, just not an entire truck like one of their own. If you are interested in having them do something for you can get a hold of them at www.dbkustomtrucks.com
Til next month, y’all stay safe out there and God Bless!