I have a lot of great memories as a young boy. At the top of my list is pipe fitting on a construction site with my old man in the summers. After a long day I would place my chin on the seal of my dad’s old Chevy truck door with the window down, wind brushing my face, and stare sleepily at the cars rolling by, Billy Joel playing in the background. One day I heard the sound of a mighty Peterbilt humming down the road, and as she passed I saw the grand paint job and all the chrome.

The man driving was old and worn. Probably fought the Germans or took out Japanese on some small island in World War II and hardly said a word about it. His window was rolled down, arm hanging out, and he had a look of peace and determination. Then my eyes focused on his farmer-tanned, tattooed arm: American flag, pinup girl, a heart, and a lot of other stuff that marked the man and his life.

That’s the inspiration for this build. I named her “Trucky” for the tattooed men who have pounded the roads of this great country over the years. The paint job was inspired by another old Peterbilt I saw years ago. I took parts from an old chiropractic/tattoo bench that I had kicking around the shop. It was from the early 1900s and had so much character that I couldn’t stand looking at it anymore, so I stripped it down and used some of the parts to build a bike.