The FMCSA’s change to its guidance on the pre-2000 model year exemption to the ELD mandate — when the agency specified the engine year instead of the chassis year as the determining factor for obtaining the exemption — in part sealed the deal for owner-operator Scott Hampton in his plans to do a $75K custom-restoration of his 2000 Peterbilt 379 to keep it humming for years to come. It’s powered by a 1999 Detroit Series 60, as you’ll hear him tell in the video above, with images taken on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where Hampton participated in “That’s a big 10-4 on D.C.” last month.
Iowa-based Hampton’s 2000 Peterbilt 379 was parked at the center of the 10-4 D.C. event, in an area where tents allowed for small gatherings and the distribution of literature from the various groups in attendance — and education for drivers and members of the public on how to file comments on the then-current hours of service advance notice of proposed rulemaking, among other things.He worked with a partner in Majestic Truck Services in Altoona, Iowa, who did the majority of the heavy lifting, with Classic Autoworx of Des Moines overseeing the well-appointed interior.
From new frame-rails to plenty of bright parts, most from 4 State Trucks, the rig cuts a fine picture five years into Hampton’s ownership of it. He purchased it, when he first became an owner-operator, from the owner in Illinois, Gary Stedman, who bought it new.
Scott Hampton’s 2000 Peterbilt 379When in early 2017 Hampton collided with a deer, doing damage to the sleeper, he found a brand-new 2013 63-inch flattop that had been removed from a 389 glider that was daycabbed. The deal he got on it also played a big part in his decision to move on the complete rebuild/facelift.
Catch more in the video up top, and stay tuned for detail on and insights into Hampton’s dedicated independent operation — he runs principally direct for an Iowa-based greenhouse operation, hauling flowers out with multiple drops at stores on the other end, picking empty carts back.
