Mark Clowater

Just because a truck is up there in years doesn't mean it can't run right alongside the trucks of today, and this classic Freightshaker is living proof!

Mark Clowater has his roots in New Brunswick, Canada, having grown up there. In 1987 he started driving an '83 Freightliner cabover for a small company in his hometown, at a time when conventional cabs were the rage and the cabover's popularity was declining. Mark drove the cabover for about a year, switched over to a conventional and actually purchased several conventionals of his own.

He realized he liked driving the cabover better, so he was always looking for one to purchase for himself. He found his cabover on a rare trip that took him down "airline road" in Maine, a stretch of Route 9 between Bangor and Calais. Mark spotted a Freightliner sitting with the cab up, and years later while on the same stretch of road, he decided to stop. He was told by the owner that the truck wasn't for sale, but he was able to get a phone number. Perseverance paid off, and 3 years of phone calls later, Mark went and purchased his '87 Freightliner and towed it home!

During the next three years, he restored this old "Shaker" from the ground up, working on it nearly every weekend with the help and support of his two sons Oliver & Aaron, along with his wife, Tracey. Mark finished the truck in May of 2019 after totally reworking the engine, transmission, and drive line. He added new tanks, suspension, frame rails, new paint, and just the right amount of "bling" - including a custom bumper, Hogebuilts, and dual polished intakes behind the cab.

Mark works his stunning blue & grey '87 daily, from May till October, hauling flatbed materials between Canada and New England. He gets plenty of thumbs up & smiles along the way, sitting behind the wheel of the "old cabover" that he always wanted!

Movin' Out salutes Mark Clowater & his classic cabover for still going strong in 2023, as our pick for the January Working Show Truck of the Month.