Bucyrus, Ohio-based Dan Linn, owner of Linn Acres Farm, operates one rig on the trucking side of his farming business, hauling dry bulk agricultural products from Ohio to locations in the Southeast, Indiana and elsewhere.
"We do dry bulk, ag and feed," Linn said. "Food-grade products" in a hopper bottom. He hauls product as far as South Florida, bringing product back up out of South Georgia back to Ohio. He also hauls to Indiana for a local farm.
Linn's built the business to be protected from much of the recent lows of the spot market, as about 90% of his work comes from direct customers. Business has been steady, he said, but like everyone else in trucking, "the high cost, like everything -- tires and food on the road and all that" -- has impacted the business in some ways.
On the rates front, though, he's seen a measure of stability, though loads are fewer and farther between at times. Using the Bulk Loads load board when needed to fill the gaps, Linn said he's noticed there aren't as many posted loads as he's seen in the past.
Yet he's working "a little smarter," he said, to offset higher costs. "We don't head out on a load unless I know definitely what we're doing. Like the old days, you could kind of just head somewhere and you'd find something in between." He takes care to plan ahead to make sure the wheels are turning for the right reason. He's more choosy about the loads he takes, making sure the money's worth it.
At the 2024 Waupun Truck-N-Show in Waupun, Wisconsin, Dan Linn and his son, Daniel, showed off their new rig, a 2025 Western Star 49X that they took possession of back in the Spring.
The elder Linn said he typically stays on about a four-year trade cycle, and he traded in a Western Star 5700 that he had owned since 2019.
The new Western Star was customized for the Linns at the factory with a paint scheme Dan Linn worked to create with the paint shop at Daimler. He said the blue on his truck isn't the same blue that Daimler typically offers on its trucks.
The rig also features a custom front bumper, Hogebuilt rear fenders, an air ride rear suspension and more.
Daniel Linn said a front air ride suspension wasn't available, "but really you can't tell the difference even if it's spring ride. It's that smooth."
Under the hood, the truck is powered by a 600-hp Detroit with a 12-speed automatic transmission.
The interior features Western Star's Platinum package with a 72-inch double bunk.
Dan Linn noted that the height of the 49X is more in line with the height of his hopper bottom trailers than his previous Western Star 5700 was. "This height is a little bit more friendly than what we were before," he said. "We got along fine, but you don't have to be quite as concerned."
The Linns run a Dynasys APU on the rig, which Dan said he's been running on his trucks for a while. Having the APU has helped him cut down on idling, he noted, yet another cost-saving measure.
[Related: Owner-operator Brian Bucenell's custom '02 379]
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Dan Linn: Good morning. My name is Dan Linn. This is my son, Daniel Linn. We're based out of Bucyrus, Ohio. We do dry bulk. Ag and feed. Food-grade products. Hopper bottom. We bring products as far south Florida. Do a lot of South Georgia up to Ohio. And we do a dedicated run from Ohio to Indiana for a local feed farm.
That's pretty much, we're a farm background. We farm, too. And, I do trucking. This is a truck I just got here last spring. This is the second Western Star. Before that I owned quite a few Peterbilts.
Matt Cole: All right. Well, tell us about this truck.
Daniel Linn: It's got 600 horse Detroit with a Detroit 12-speed automatic. It was custom engineered for Linn Acres Farm. It was our second Western Star we bought. It has a power hood, so it doesn't have any slope to it. It's got a custom bumper on it. We went to the factory and watched it get built. It's got a 72-inch double bunk, platinum interior, and it has Detroit transmission, Detroit rear ends. We got Hogebuilt fenders on the back. Air ride rear suspension. You can't get air ride front suspension, but really, you can't tell the difference with the spring ride. It's that smooth.
Dan Linn: Got a Dynasys APU. I've been running APUs for quite a while. That that saves us a lot of money. Another side of it, though, with the design, matches right up with our height of our trailer and with what we do getting around the height is a little bit more friendly than what we were before. We got along fine, but you don't have to be quite as concerned.
Cole: Is this a paint scheme that you've kind of stuck with?
Dan Linn: Yeah. Yeah. Robin, the paint engineer at Daimler Chrysler. We came up with this on the 2019 one, and we've just kind of stayed with it in the same on the color. It's a little different blue than what they used on most of them, but it's got our blue.
So yeah, we had a 5700 Western started before this one. We had it five years and we went to this. Generally, we went about four years, right in there, we usually trade.
And I had the 389, 379, 386 Peterbilt. They were good trucks, but the quality of the interior and everything of the components really dropped off after they went to the away from the 379.
Daniel Linn It's been a pretty good truck. You know, like anything, there's a couple things here and there.
