Haul of Fame: Richard Bonner’s 1996 Peterbilt 379 — Bringing a Classic Trucker’s Truck Back to Life

Every truck has a story, but some are worth taking a closer look at.

Richard Bonner’s 1996 Peterbilt 379 is one of those trucks.

Purchased new in 1996, the Peterbilt became part of the Bonner Farms operation in Ohio and spent years doing what a truck is meant to do—working. It moved from driver to driver, accumulated hard miles and eventually began to show the wear that comes with a life on the road.

But underneath all those years of use was still the truck Richard remembered.

He remembered what it looked like when it was new. He remembered the classic Peterbilt styling that made him like it in the first place. And even after years of work had taken their toll, he could still see something worth saving.

Richard and the team set out to bring the classic rig back to life.

Not simply to make it look new again, but to give it another life as the kind of truck that had always captured Richard's attention—a classic trucker's truck.

The old Pete was about to get a serious dose of shop magic.

Rather than pushing the build toward the modern custom-truck style of long wheelbases, low stances, heavy paint and contemporary styling, the team at 4 State Trucks and Chrome Shop Mafia went in another direction. They looked back to the trucks that defined the 1980s and 1990s owner-operator era.

Now it was time to turn that vision into steel, stainless and attitude.

The inspiration was there in the polished stainless steel, multicolor striping, tall exhaust stacks, air horns, custom lighting and classic Peterbilt proportions. This wasn't about following the crowd. It was about bringing back the kind of highway presence that made old-school trucks impossible to miss.

The goal? Take a classic Peterbilt and turn the attitude all the way up.

A Working Truck With a Lot of History

The story doesn't begin in a truck show parking lot.

It begins with Bonner Farms.

The Bonner family has deep agricultural roots in Ohio, and the operation grew into a substantial farming and cattle business. For years, the Peterbilt was part of that working world. According to Land Line Magazine, the truck was a Bonner Farms working show truck, arriving at the chassis shop in rough condition before eventually making its way to Joplin and 4 State Trucks.

That distinction matters.

This wasn't a truck that had spent its life tucked away in a collection, waiting for someone to restore it. It had worked. It had hauled. It had accumulated miles. It had been driven by different people and exposed to the realities of working life.

By the time the restoration began, the Peterbilt needed considerably more than a polish and a new set of accessories.

But underneath the corrosion, wear and years of hard use was still the 1996 Peterbilt Richard had bought new.

That was the truck the team wanted to bring back.

Building the Classic Trucker's Truck

When Bryan “Bossman” Martin and The Boyz began talking through the project, they quickly realized this wasn't going to be another modern custom-truck build.

There was already a familiar formula in the custom-truck scene—long wheelbases, low stances, large visors, heavy paint and plenty of chrome. Those trucks have their place, but this Peterbilt called for something different.

The team wanted to capture the personality of the trucks that defined an earlier generation of trucking: the owner-operator truck that looked good because it was unmistakably its driver's truck.

That meant letting the era of the Peterbilt guide the build.

First up, the front end. Because if you're going to bring a classic Pete back, you might as well start where everybody looks first.

Rather than attempting to rebuild and re-skin the original, the team chose an aftermarket Peterbilt 379 hood that gave them a cleaner foundation. From there, the rest of the exterior began to take shape. The wheels and headlights were polished, new fuel tanks and storage boxes were added, and stainless steel was incorporated throughout the truck to bring back the bright contrast that had become such a defining part of classic Peterbilt styling.

And just like that, the old Pete was starting to get its swagger back.

Seven-inch exhaust pipes with heat shields established the tall-stack profile. New air cleaners carried that look upward, while four air horns added another unmistakably old-school touch. The crew wired custom Peterbilt lighting throughout the rig, installing dual-revolution LEDs that shift colors based on their placement. During the day, the paint, stainless and polished components dominate the truck. At night, the lighting changes its personality completely.

When the sun went down, this truck didn't disappear—it lit up.

And the more the team worked on it, the more the build moved away from simply restoring an old truck and toward creating something that felt like a classic trucker's truck again.

Now it was starting to look like a truck that belonged in the spotlight. Even the stainless steel had a story.

Around the shop, one man's scrap is another man's custom detail.

Shop Manager Jimmy Flood began saving pieces of stainless steel from around the fabrication shop that might otherwise have been discarded. Jimmy and the fabrication team cut, shaped, and welded those scrapped pieces directly into the sleeper.

It was an approach that fit the project perfectly.

The goal wasn't to erase the truck's history.

It was about finding what was still worth saving, putting the shop magic to work and giving it another shot at the highway.

A Truck That Rewards a Closer Look

The sleeper became another opportunity to showcase the attitude. And this is where the old Pete really started talking.

Custom stainless strips and fabricated accents broke up the painted surfaces, while modifications around the rear and fender brackets added details that aren't necessarily obvious from a distance. That's part of what makes a build like this interesting. You can walk around the truck and see the overall picture, then spend another few minutes looking and find something you didn't notice the first time.

But the crew wasn't done turning heads outside. The real surprise was waiting inside the cab.

Inside the Peterbilt 379, the interior had nicks and cuts, but much of the original upholstery was still usable. It was cleaned, repaired and trimmed, with additional covers created where needed.

And then the crew went full old-school inside.

The interior wasn't treated like a blank canvas.

It was treated like part of the truck's history.

A 359-inspired centerpiece brought some of the most recognizable Peterbilt styling into the 379, while a custom stainless transition was fabricated where the cab and sleeper meet. Above it all, the team built a one-of-a-kind overhead console incorporating the CB equipment.

None of those pieces came from a simple checklist.

They were created around this particular truck.

Richard had also provided photographs of another Peterbilt he owned—a black 389—and those images helped influence the rear of the sleeper. That detail says a lot about the project. The team wasn't following a generic formula for what a custom Peterbilt should look like. They were listening to the owner, looking at the trucks he already liked and finding ways to translate those preferences into the build.

That's what turned this from a restoration into something much more personal.

Four Months Later

4 State Trucks knocked out the overhaul in just four months, partnering with a local Peterbilt dealership to finish the specialized restoration work.

There wasn't one magic bolt that changed everything. The transformation happened one piece at a time.

The hood set the new attitude up front... The polished wheels and headlights brought back the shine. New tanks and storage boxes gave the truck more presence. Stainless steel tied the exterior together. The stacks, air cleaners, lighting and air horns brought back the personality of the classic owner-operator truck the team had envisioned.

New fabrication filled in the areas that needed something more. The Pete gained its own personality, and the old truck became a combination of classic Peterbilt influence and one-of-a-kind custom work.

Piece by piece, the truck that had spent years earning its keep began to look like the truck Richard remembered.

After four months of cutting, polishing, fabricating and fine-tuning, it was time for the moment everybody had been waiting for.

The build was finished. And Richard finally got to see it.

His reaction during the interview says more about the project than a specification sheet ever could. He was impressed. He was surprised. And most importantly, he was proud.

For the team, that reaction was the payoff.

All of the planning, fabrication, installation and countless small decisions ultimately came down to one thing: building a truck its owner could look at and know was his.

The People Who Brought It Back

A truck like this doesn't happen because of one person.

Bryan "Bossman" Martin helped document the project and sat down with Richard to talk about the transformation. Jimmy and Cash were heavily involved in the hands-on customization and fabrication, working through the details that made the build unique.

The project became especially personal for Cash, who eventually referred to the Peterbilt almost like it was his baby. There were even signs warning people not to touch it.

That's how personal a shop build can become.

When a team spends weeks and months working on the same truck, it stops feeling like just another job. It becomes something they care about.

And that care shows in the finished Peterbilt.

More Than Chrome

First glance? It's the chrome that grabs you. Second glance? The stainless. Then you notice the stacks, the lights, the air horns. And if you keep looking, the details just keep coming.

But here's the thing: the shine isn't really the story.

Because underneath all of it is a truck that was bought new in 1996.

A truck that went to work.

A truck that accumulated years of hard use.

A truck that became worn and neglected but was never completely forgotten.

Richard could still see the Peterbilt underneath all of that.

So could the team at 4 State Trucks.

They didn't simply build a different truck.

They brought this one back.

And that's what makes the finished Peterbilt more meaningful than a collection of chrome, stainless steel and custom parts. It's a piece of Richard's history, a tribute to a particular era of trucking and a reminder that a working truck doesn't necessarily have to be replaced when the years begin to show.

Sometimes, it just needs another chapter.

Why It Belongs in the Haul of Fame

The Haul of Fame isn't a contest for who can pile on the most chrome. It's about the trucks that have something to say.

It's about finding the trucks that have a story worth telling.

And this old 1996 Pete certainly has plenty to say.

It was purchased new. It worked. It accumulated miles. It passed through years of drivers and hard use. Eventually, it reached a point where it could have simply been left behind.

Instead, someone decided it was worth saving.

What came out of the shop isn't just a restored Peterbilt. It's a tribute to an era of trucking—a classic trucker's truck with multicolor stripes, polished stainless steel, tall exhaust stacks, four air horns and custom lighting, combined with one-of-a-kind fabrication and a 359-inspired interior.

Most importantly, it still carries the identity of the truck Richard liked when he bought it nearly three decades ago.

That's what makes it a Haul of Fame truck.

Not because it became something completely different.

Because it became itself again.

The Story Behind the Story

For another perspective on the Peterbilt's journey, Land Line Magazine documented the project in its May 2021 feature, “Mafia Secrets.” The article provides additional background on the truck's history with Bonner Farms, its condition when it reached the chassis shop and the vision behind maintaining its traditional big-1990s appearance rather than turning it into something completely different.

The video shows the finished result.

The Land Line feature helps tell the story of how it got there.

Read “Mafia Secrets” from Land Line Magazine

Your Truck. Your Vision.

Not every truck needs a four-month makeover. Sometimes it just needs the right touch.

Not every owner wants a show truck, and not every project needs to involve a complete transformation.

Sometimes the change starts with something much smaller—a new set of wheels, updated lighting, a visor, some stainless steel, new stacks or an interior upgrade. Maybe it's simply replacing the one part you've been thinking about for years.

Maybe you've got an old truck sitting in the driveway that's just waiting for somebody to wake it back up.

That's where a project starts.

Not with how big the build needs to be, but with an idea of what you want your truck to become.

At 4 State Trucks, that might mean finding the right parts for a weekend project, or it might mean sitting down with a team to figure out how to tackle something much bigger. From exterior accessories and lighting to stainless steel, interiors, custom fabrication and professional installation, the goal is the same: helping you build the truck you want to drive.

Because your truck doesn't have to become a show truck to make a statement.

Sometimes it just needs a little bit of your vision.

And when the idea in your head doesn't exist on a shelf, that's when you call in the guys who know how to make it happen—Cody and The Boyz from Chrome Shop Mafia.

Their approach to custom fabrication starts with the truck and the person behind it. Instead of simply adding more parts, the team looks at how those pieces can work together to create a finished build that feels intentional from front to back.

This Peterbilt is a perfect example.

The team started with an existing truck, understood the vision behind it and built around that vision.

Once those pieces are ready, Forest and the team at the Install Shop help bring everything together through professional installation and finishing work.

Whether you're bringing an old truck back to life, giving your everyday ride a few upgrades or starting with a blank slate, you don't have to figure out the entire project yourself.

Sometimes all it takes is an idea and a conversation about what's possible.

If you've got a truck—and a vision for what you want it to become—talk to the team at 4 State Trucks.

Chrome Shop Mafia Custom Fabrication
888-875-7787, Extension 148

Cody and The Boyz can talk through your project, fabrication options, estimates and scheduling. Forest and the Install Shop can help bring the finished vision together.

Learn more about custom truck fabrication and installation:
4 State Trucks — We Know Trucks

A Classic Trucker's Truck With Another Chapter to Write

Some trucks are remembered because they're rare.

Some because they're expensive.

Some because they win trophies.

And some are remembered because they tell a story.

This 1996 Peterbilt 379 belongs in that last group.

It started life as a new Peterbilt and spent years doing exactly what trucks are built to do—working. It became worn. It accumulated history. It carried the evidence of the people and miles that came before.

Eventually, someone decided the story wasn't over.

What rolled out of 4 State Trucks was more than a restored truck. It was a tribute to an era of trucking and to the kind of classic trucker's truck that once seemed to be around every corner.

The multicolor stripes, polished stainless steel, tall stacks, four air horns, custom lighting and hand-built details all contribute to the finished look.

But they're not really the reason this truck matters.

The reason is much simpler.

This was a truck Richard bought new.

A truck he liked.

A truck that worked.

A truck that could have been left behind.

And a truck someone believed was worth bringing back.

That's what the 4 State Trucks Haul of Fame is about—the trucks, the people, the craftsmanship and the stories that deserve another telling.

After nearly three decades, this Peterbilt has earned its place.

Because this isn't just a custom Peterbilt.

It's a classic trucker's truck that got another chance to roll.