This month’s “dream” truck was built for one of our local customers, Eddie Homfeld (53) of LACOH Transport in Buckner, MO. He secured one of the last 389 build slots I had available. And because he had other trucks running, he was patient and wasn’t in a hurry to get the truck. Married to his “ride or die” Tisha for 10 years, they both have children from previous relationships, and now two grandchildren, as well. This truck is a true testimony to the fact that dreams do come true.
Coming from a large family that are mostly in trucking, starting with Eddie’s grandparents Louis and Dora Homfeld of Higginsville MO, Eddie’s dad Walter, who was one of four kids, also followed in the family footsteps and owned a trucking company. Eddie said there were a lot of “Homfeld” trucking companies when his dad started, so he picked Walter Transport as a name, instead. Walter Transport grew to 40 trucks at one point before closing their doors.
Doing a paper route and working in fast food, Eddie always had the trucking bug. At age 15, on one of his many trips with his dad, he drove the truck home from Oklahoma, because his dad was too tired to make it. After getting his GED so he could leave high school early, Eddie went straight to work. At 18, he got his CDL and then began driving a water truck and cattle truck. When he turned 21, his dad threw him the keys to a truck and said, “Head to Arkansas with that load of apples!” He drove and worked with his dad for the next 14 years. Sadly, his dad, who was also his best friend, passed away in June of 2019.
At age 35, Eddie decided to start his own company, and for his name, he got a little creative with LACOH Transport – he used the first two letters of his kid’s first names (Lane and Cole) and then added an “H” on the end for Homfeld! He purchased used trucks from National Lease of KC and, his first three years, ran intermodal. Then, he swapped to reefers and a few end dump trailers and never looked back. Growing to roughly 10 trucks over the years, Eddie has had help from some great drivers, along with steady and consistent work.
Currently, Eddie has a few extra trucks that he would like to move if anyone is interested, including (2) loaded 389 Peterbilt glider kits, (2) T680 Kenworths, a 579 Peterbilt standup, a 567 Peterbilt with a small flattop and a wet kit, and a sweet 389 long hood day cab. He wouldn’t be opposed to selling the one pictured here, as well, if someone really wanted it, but he’s not actively trying to sell it.
When it came time to order this one, Eddie knew what he wanted – bright white with a red frame. When Eddie wanted to go over all the add-ons and goodies, he and Cody from our shop went to lunch and Eddie wrote out a list and discussed his dream pictured here. Those two hit it off so well I wasn’t sure what the finished product was going to look like. I stepped back and let them bond, and bond they did. They even decided to take it to the Louisville truck show. The truck turned out sweet and represented LACOH and the Geis Dealer Group well – and it even picked up some cool hardware.
The truck is a 2024 Peterbilt 389 with a 78” High Roof sleeper, a 295” wheelbase, a 565-hp Cummins X15 with 2050 torque, an 18-speed, and loaded with all the goodies. Not wanting to hide the DEF, we ordered it to have an APU up front so everything would match. There are so many extras it’s hard to name them all – there are parts from 12 Ga. Customs, 4 State Trucks, Spare Time Fab, RoadWorks, Shift Products, The Weld Shop and many others. The paint job was one of Pat the Painter’s last stripe jobs here before he left to start a new venture, and it was inspired by the stripes on Vinnie Diorio’s black truck (Eddie just loves that truck).
I thought the truck turned out nice, and I didn’t have to stress over it, which was a nice change. Special thanks to Cody, Mike, Buddy and the whole Geis Dealer Group crew for helping make Eddie’s dream truck come true.