Moving At His Own Pace

For 43-year old Morgan Warner of Judith Gap, Montana, a small town squarely between equally small stops like Harlowton and Eddie’s Corner, Morgan lives at a faster pace, despite the often slower pace of the small towns around him (Judith Gap is located about halfway between Billings and Great Falls).  Trucking since he was 18 years old, Morgan has never been one to live slowly or let opportunities pass him by, and this hard-working family man moves at his own (faster) pace!

Two days after graduating high school, Morgan was hauling grain and moving farm equipment for a custom harvest crew in Oklahoma.  By winter, he was moving liquid fertilizer to Canada, and shortly thereafter, he got a steady gig hauling logs for Tony Miller, a fellow resident of Judith Gap.  Learning to go trucking from his older brother Bryson (58), Morgan fondly remembers riding with his older brother in Bryson’s black 359 (complete with a set of boxes).

Much like Morgan, his brother Bryson wasn’t interested in the slow lane.  Trucking at 16 years old, Bryson had a profound influence on his younger brother, Morgan.  Being brothers, they often learned side-by-side and stuck by each other.  Marrying his wife Jolene at 20 and having two children by the time he was 21, Morgan had enough irons in the fire to keep any blacksmith very busy.  Naturally, that meant he needed to buy his own truck!

Getting his hands on a 1984 Pete 359 and Ravens flatbed, Morgan painted the blue rig purple and black and then ran it for several years, until he was able to upfit to a 1998 Peterbilt 379.  Around 2005, Morgan began hauling cattle for Bertolino of Billings, Montana, and then eventually traded up to a 2003 Peterbilt with a CAT “Bridge” motor that, in Morgan’s words, “Never really ran the way I wanted it to” (words you’ll often hear about the Bridge CAT engines, which were the first C15s made in 2002 and 2003 meant to “bridge” the gap between the pre-emissions 6NZ and the emissionized ACERT engines that were very unpopular).  Still, Morgan moved livestock for Bertolino in a quad-axle cattle pot for six years, developing his knowledge of the cattle industry.

While moving the livestock for Bertolino, Morgan began noticing a sharp, two-tone green 379 on the dealer lot in Black Hawk, South Dakota.  Every time he made a trip past it, the truck kept sticking out to him.  Eventually, in 2010, he finally stepped on the lot and bought that two-tone green 379 Peterbilt, and that’s the truck you see on these pages here today.  Around that same time, he began moving cattle and other livestock for CowTran of Wyoming.

Initially, the truck only had a drop visor, but since purchasing the Pete 379, Morgan has proceeded to add a 20-inch American Eagle bumper, 8-inch straights with Pickett elbows, polished Hogebuilt half-fenders, a string of seven bullet cab lights, polished Panelite cab and sleeper panels, as well as a custom deckplate and the obligatory train horns.  Morgan’s 379 also has an oval-punched grille and a 14-inch drop visor.  One unique feature is a swan hood ornament underneath the sleeper.  The hood ornament has served as Morgan’s good-luck charm and has been on every one of his trucks, accruing over three million miles with Morgan.

Inside, the truck features a full chrome gauge arrangement, as well as matching green glitter shifter knob, woodgrain CB headboard panel, and a one-off custom made low ride seat built specifically to fit Morgan.  Sitting on a 275-inch wheelbase with a 70-inch Ultracab Unibilt cab and sleeper setup, motivation for the cattle taxi comes from a C16 CAT backed by an 18-speed, 3.36 rears turning low-profile 22.5s, and all riding on a FlexAir suspension.  Much like his career, Morgan’s rig is self-made, and the vast majority of the work on the truck he’s done himself.  In 2021, Morgan was able to mate a 48-foot spread-axle Wilson Silverstar livestock trailer behind the green 379 you see today.

Moving into the Peterbilt 379 on these pages and transporting livestock for CowTran, Morgan has had the opportunity to haul all forms of livestock including cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and even NFR bulls!  Naturally, however, being a husband and father, along with an owner operator, wasn’t enough on the plate for Morgan.  So, what else would a cattle hauler do but start his own ranch!  Originally only raising around 15 head of cattle, Morgan and Jolene now run a herd around 275 strong.  Beyond the cows, cow transport and family, Jolene and Morgan began a hay operation in 2012, too.  Jolene drags her feet about as much as Morgan does!

The entire photo shoot was done on Morgan and Jolene’s ranch, so we didn’t have to travel far for great backdrops and those beautiful Big Sky Country views Montana offers.  In the exceedingly rare moments that Morgan isn’t trucking, haying, ranching or husband-ing, he likes spending time in the shop working on old equipment.  He enjoys the challenge (and satisfaction) of making something old run again like the day it was built.  Morgan also likes welding, and often produces unique works, like a cowboy welded from various horseshoes and miniature tractors assembled from found pieces of scrap iron.  As Morgan puts it, he’s a “tinkerer” and almost always has a project, in some state of completion or disassembly, going.

Morgan would like to acknowledge those who have helped get him started, stood by him, and helped him through the years.  Chief amongst them is his wife, Jolene, and two daughters, Kinsey and Sierra.  Helping manage and run the ranch and haying when Morgan is on the road, his family provides stability, which is important when he is gone for long stretches of time.  Along with his wife and kids, Morgan would like to thank his brother Bryson for helping him get started in trucking and standing by his side, learning with him.  Morgan would also like to thank Tony Miller for opening the door for him all those years ago hauling logs.  Last, but certainly not least, Morgan would like to thank the entire crew at CowTran, as they’re like family, and treat Morgan like family.

Composed of drivers and ranchers themselves, CowTran is familiar with the complexities and complications that are associated with moving livestock.  In small communities like Judith Gap, Montana, and the surrounding towns, close-knit communities are what keep the ranches, farms, and local businesses thriving.  Morgan and the Warner family are great evidence of that, as neighbors all know one another, they help each other, support each other’s businesses, and look after each other, as well.

Proof of this “neighborly support” comes from how 10-4 Magazine was introduced to Morgan.  Ira Mitchell of Truck-N-Up (this company was featured in our July 2025 edition) learned to drive trucks from Morgan and introduced me to him.  I had seen Morgan’s truck many times but had never caught the name until I met Ira at Truck-N-Up.  To that end, Morgan would like to thank Ira for making that connection, and 10-4 would like to thank Ira, as well.

We at 10-4 Magazine would like to thank Morgan and Jolene and the Warner family for taking the time to get a photo shoot planned and arranged.  It may be true that the small towns and backroads move at a slightly slower pace, but in the world of ranching and farming, as they say, make hay while the sun shines.  Words that Morgan lives by, because this Montana cattle hauler moves at a faster pace and is always on the go.  His truck may be green, but there’s definitely no moss growing underneath it!