VINNIE’S “FRESH” RIDE
THE LATEST PROJECT FROM CLINT MOORE
This month’s “creation” was ordered and built for Vinnie Diorio (28) of Richfield, Wisconsin. Vinnie is pretty well-known around the truck show circuit for his tricked-out 2005 orange and grey Pete, which has won many shows and graced several magazine and calendar pages over the years. But, when ordering this one, he wanted a truck that was not only fresh and new, but also usable. After all, he was getting it for one of his drivers (Kevin “Biggs” Pascavis) to use daily.
Vinnie grew up on a dairy farm next to a gravel pit, and he always loved to watch the trucks come and go. In high school, Vinnie worked part time for Ruben Mindemann, who had a few dump trucks. The day Vinnie graduated from high school was also his 18th birthday. He left school early that day to take his CDL driving test. After he passed the test, he returned to work where he found a brand new Peterbilt 357 quad-axle dump waiting for him to drive.
After driving the dump truck for two years, Vinnie bought his first truck at the age of 20 - a 1997 Pete 379 Extended Hood, painted orange with a tomato red frame, and a 48” flattop. He used that truck to pull an end dump to batch plants, but after getting tired of trying to keep it clean, he stretched the 250-inch wheelbase out to 312” and went cow trucking. He did that for a couple years, but then got tired of being away from home (he had met his future wife Kimmie and hated to be apart from her), so he bought a flatbed and started running between Chicago and Milwaukee. When he got sick of tarping his loads, he bought a curtain for his trailer.
Today, with two trucks (the 2005 show truck and this new one), Vinnie does more brokering and dispatching than driving. His company, Rollin Transport & Logistics, currently brokers loads for 12 of his trucking friends - including a few of the late Jake Eilen’s trucks, which are now being ran for Jake’s widow Anne and their young son Jaden. In fact, Vinnie, who was very close to Jake, dedicated this new truck to the memory of Jake by painting his name on the back of the sleeper with the words “Roll On” underneath.
When Vinnie ordered his 2005 Pete, Clint did all of the original work, but later, when the truck got even more extreme, other shops like TA Truck Painting in Pewaukee, WI and 12 Ga. Customs out of Canada got involved. Over the years, Vinnie has had a few other cool trucks, but when it came time to order another new one, he gave Clint the call (Vinnie has always considered himself to be a “Clint Moore” guy).
Looking for something new, and not really having a choice, he ordered a 2009 Pete 389 with a 63” High Roof and a 312” wheelbase, an ISX Cummins, 18-speeds, Low-Air suspension and an air-ride front axle. Clint designed the white and orange color scheme and the factory painted it exactly how he drew it out. When it got to the shop, Clint and his crew spent three long days getting things done, including hanging some long half-fenders with hidden brackets and a light bar, chopping the air cleaner lids, moving the exhaust (the pipes are just dummies - the real exhaust is underneath), and adding some other accents. The guys at TA and 12 Ga. did the rest.
Vinnie, who has been married to Kimmie for two years now, is very excited about this new ride. The couple does not have children yet, but they consider their three Rottweiler dogs (Roxie, Cheva and Diesel) to be their kids. Clint says, “It’s fun to meet people who like the same things you do. I really love cool trucks, and Vinnie is a prime example of why I really love my job!”
~ If you would like Clint Moore to order and/or build you a new custom truck, contact him at Kansas City Peterbilt via e-mail at clintmoore@kcpete.com or call him at (913) 441-2888. You can also visit his website at www.custombuiltfor.com and check out pictures of other custom trucks he has built.