Jeron & Jerry Whittmore

Robert Conrad
August 2016

As we move into the month of August another year is quickly passing us by and will soon be in the rearview mirror. Every one of us has gotten rid of something as the years have passed that eventually we wish we had kept. For 17 year-old Jeron Whittmore, it wasn't something he'd gotten rid of, but something that his dad Jerry had let go many years earlier, that Jeron wished was still around.

Jerry Whittmore special ordered his 1991 EXHD 379 Peterbilt and drove for National Carriers with it for several years. Jerry sold the truck to his dad who also hauled for National Carriers with it until he eventually sold it. Some 25 years after Jerry had ordered the truck, his son Jeron was going thru some old photos and stumbled upon it. Jeron decided he wanted to try to find his dad's old Peterbilt and restore it to have for their family owned logging company in Arkansas. Jerry told him it had probably been scrapped by now but Jeron was determined to try to find it. He got the serial number from one of the pictures and began tracking the whereabouts of his dad's old truck. Almost a year after he began his search, Jeron found the truck in Olton, TX. Amazingly, it hadn't been scrapped and they were able to go get it and bring it back to Arkansas. The truck was in pretty rough shape and still had the original motor in it with over 2 million miles on it!

Jerry and his son Jeron completely rebuilt the 1991 Peterbilt and today it looks even better than the day Jerry drove it off of the dealership lot. The truck has a 425 CAT engine with a 15 speed over transmission. The Whittmores wanted to send big thanks out to everyone that helped in the restoration project, especially Peterbilt of NW Arkansas. Jeron's determination certainly paid off and he showed that, if you want something bad enough, you can accomplish it if you put your mind to it! The old Peterbilt that his dad thought was long gone, is now a beautifully restored truck that will remain in the Whittmore family forever. Jeron says they plan to show it off at truck shows and haul an occasional load of logs or wood chips with it for the family logging business. Three generations of the same family have touched this Peterbilt and if it could talk, the stories would be endless.

Movin' Out would like to salute Jeron and Jerry Whittmore for all of their hard work and determination in making this dream a reality. They brought their 1991 Peterbilt home, and made it new again, and it's a fitting choice for our August Working Show Truck of the Month.