This 1982 Freightliner cabover is practically a member of the Hilker family. Dennis Hilker of New London, Wisconsin, who bought the truck new from Schoeneman Truck and Trailer in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, is the original owner. The cabover, which sits on a 180-inch wheelbase, features a 96-inch cab and is equipped with a 350 Cummins engine hooked to a 9-speed transmission. The Freightliner worked hard, pulling 45-foot Utility reefers, hauling meat and cheese from Wisconsin to all points east of the Rockies. Originally, Dennis drove the Freightliner, and then he was followed by his sons, Steve and Brian, respectively. In the late 1990s, after the truck racked up 1.2 million miles, it was retired from its long-haul work and was then used locally around its home state of Wisconsin. The 1.2 million mile mark was also the point at which the 350 Cummins engine was given its second overhaul. After giving the Hilker family more than 20 years of service, the Freightliner was completely retired from active duty in 2003. At that point, the cab and frame were stripped and repainted, but the interior was kept original. Since the truck had been cared for so well over the years and it had no damage or rust to repair, the “refurbish” job was easy. Now, the truck enjoys its well-earned retirement by going to truck shows, where it receives a lot of attention.
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John & Shirley Sponholtz
John & Shirley Sponholtz have been involved with old trucks for over 20 years. Shirley was editor at Wheels of Time for 12 years before going out on her own and starting Old Time Trucks magazine in 2004. John is an avid photographer who enjoys taking pictures of odd and/or rare trucks (he provides most of the pictures for this article and their magazine). John & Shirley, who are from Richmond, Indiana, have been regular contributors to 10-4 Magazine since 2006.
2 Comments
Beautiful Freightliner! I remember driving one of these hauling produce here in California. Thanks for the picture…BEAUTIFUL!
I used to own a 1979 96-inch cab Freightliner COE just like this one back in 1981-1983 when I lived in Birmingham, MI but mine was dark purple with red side cab lights on the lower belt line that I added on myself.
Mine had a 400hp Cummins with a 13-speed double overdrive transmission and 3.90 rears, which would run 93 mph @ 2300 rpm.
In 1982 I used to haul swinging dressed hogs from Archbold, OH to Hunt’s Point Cooperative Market in the South Bronx for Distributor’s Service every Sunday.
I ran across the Ohio Turnpike and across I-80 in PA and NJ then across the George Washington Bridge, the Cross-Bronx Expressway and then down the Sheridan Expressway to the Bruckner Expressway and then down Hunt’s Point Blvd to the market.
Back in the day we used to run every red light on Hunt’s Point Blvd all the way down to the market so that we didn’t get broken into too.
Then I would haul back as many as a couple dozen stops of refrigerated LTL from my employer’s Jersey City, NJ terminal to food wholesalers in Cleveland, Toledo, and Detroit, grossing about $3K per week early in 1982, one heck of a life for a mid-20-something kid back then!!!
Too bad, deregulation and the 1982 Recession killed Distributor’s Service and me off both, and that was the last truck that I owned too.
I still did 30 years behind the wheel before my left eye went bad, the last 10 years of that for Denney Transport out of Commerce City, CO running refrigerated LTL to Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Detroit every week through 2009 running a Volvo 770 with a 500 Cummins and a 13-speed double overdrive with a 53-foot multi-temp reefer.
I can’t forget my roots at Midwestern Distribution in 1979, Prime when they were just moving from Urbana to Springfield in 1980-81, and then Distributor’s Service in my old cabover Freightliner, along with Trans-American Freight Lines running car paint from inner-city Detroit to the old GM assembly plant at Tarrytown, NY that isn’t there any more either.
it is good to see one like my old one that is still looking sharp too.
Thanks for the memories!