March 13, 2026 • 31 mins
A black 1977 Mack R-Model. A CB dream called “Rubber Duck.” And a family that never let the legend stall out.
This episode dives into the life of Patrick Bruno—driver, collector, and co-owner of a genuine screen-used Convoy truck from the 1978 film. What began as a kid riding in grandpa’s dump truck became a mission to resurrect one of trucking’s most iconic rigs, keeping mechanical heritage alive against the rise of automation.
We trace Patrick’s three-generation trucking roots, the shop floors that built his skills, and how fascination turned into craftsmanship. Then we pop the hood on the Convoy Mack: swapping from a tired small-cam 855 to a correct big-cam Cummins, mastering the Fuller 9513 gearbox, overcoming “Franken-timed” breakdowns, and chasing the authentic details—Donaldson air cleaner stacks, fuel tank tells, wiring quirks—that prove this is the real screen survivor, not a tribute.
Beyond the wrenching, it’s about community: kids racing to touch movie history at shows, fans messaging from Australia and Germany, Friday-night convoys turning trucks into time machines, museum partnerships, American Trucker features, and upcoming Missouri events reviving the Rubber Duck spirit on main streets and fairgrounds.
This isn’t just about a truck—it’s memory in cast iron, pride in toolboxes, and the sound of a big cam idling right after decades of silence. Trucking culture is more than freight; it’s the soul of the road.
If classic iron, heritage horsepower, and real-road stories are your thing, queue this up.
Key Takeaways 👇
✅ Family & Craft Roots — Three generations of shop floors and handed-down skills that turned childhood rides into lifelong preservation
✅ Restoration Journey — Big-cam 855 swap, 9513 gearbox, conquering mismatched timing, and the hunt for screen-accurate details like air cleaners and fuel tanks
✅ Authenticity Markers — What truly separates a movie-original Mack from even the best replicas
✅ Community Impact — Kids touching history, global fan love, town convoys, museum collabs, and Missouri’s upcoming Rubber Duck revival events
✅ Bigger Picture — Preserving these rigs keeps trucking’s independent spirit alive in an automated world
Subscribe, share with a fellow gearhead or Convoy fan, and drop a review—what trucking movie or rig should we feature next?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome back to That's Delivered.
(00:01):
I'm your host, Trucking Ray, andtoday we got another great show
for you.
A podcast is all about peoplewho keep freight moving.
There are stories behind thetrucking industry.
And today we're talking a littlebit about trucking history, a
truck that a lot of drivers willrecognize from the most famous
trucking movies that's ever beenmade.
Today's guest is Patrick Bruno.
Patrick is a truck driver,collector, enthusiast who is
also a co-owner of a screen usedtruck from the 1978 movie
(00:25):
Convoy, a legendary mag truckconnected with Chris
Christofferson's character, therubber duck.
Patrick actually reached outafter seeing this episode, Rob
Mariani, who has mentioned hehad worked with us in the past
and he wanted to share his storyand talk about the truck and
some of the the plans he hasmoving forward.
So, Patrick, welcome to theshow.
(00:47):
Yo, Patrick, what's happeningover there?
How you doing?
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
How are you doing, buddy?
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
I'm doing pretty good.
Yeah, I'm so glad to have you onthe show and talk about what
you're doing.
I mean you're doing greatthings.
And man, you know, you and Rob,you know, you guys did a lot of
great things too.
Um when I talk about that uhhistory.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Yeah, as a fact uh I'm actually standing behind my
tribute daily, which I call themoney duck.
And uh believe it or not, I'm uhsitting on uh at the site of our
um uh uh every year we do a showcalled The Lights in the Park.
And uh I'm parked right hereright now at the park where we
host the Philadelphia.
I thought I'd kind of bring someyou know fun to have the show
here.
SPEAKER_01 (01:26):
Nice.
Thank you.
Appreciate you doing that, man.
Not easy out there trying to doall things necessary to put that
truck out there and put put themessage out there for people.
Let's start with yourbackground, a little bit about
what you mentioned to me fromyou know, family of truckers,
mechanics, and operators.
Tell us about that.
Well, what's what's it likegrowing up around the trucking
industry and when you firstrealized that this industry was
(01:49):
what you wanted to be a part offor yourself?
SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
So basically, so I was born in uh fall of 2001, a
year before that.
My dad, which many knowing bythe name of Dan Bruno, he
started his first dump truckcompany because he always wanted
to find a way to make you knowmoney in trucking, which you
know that can fox for to bethese days.
But uh But no, we am uh so mygrandfather he um gave him the
(02:12):
idea of getting into dumptrucks, and about a few months
after I was born, um, herandomly took me with him one
day and uh I rode and got a dumptruck.
He had a first truck he everhad, it was a it was a custom
ordered Mac RB model that cameout of the McCundry plant in
Allentown.
And uh that first ride in thattruck is what got me hooked on
for a fly-up and stuff.
(02:32):
Some people they wait until likemaybe their like their preschool
years, their own match screenand stuff, but literally just
right after I was born was whenI got hooked on it for life.
And um yeah, as I've mentionedbefore, I'm I come from a whole
family of uh polo cars aroundand operating big machinery and
stuff.
When my forefathers first camehere to St.
Louis, um one of them, one of mygreat-great-grandfathers, uh, he
(02:54):
was a uh walker and a tree man.
And uh both my greatgrandfathers, one on my dad's
side and one on my mom's side,uh, they were both truckers.
My mom's side, my grandfather,he drove for Yel his whole
career.
And one on my dad's side, Idon't know much about him.
And then uh, and then two of myuh step-grandfathers, and one of
them, uh he was a uh CDOinstructor in his career.
(03:15):
And uh the other one, um hedrove them a free oil company
over in uh East St.
Louis for his whole time.
And um, my dad, as I mentioned,he's had two trunk companies in
the past.
And so yeah, I'm about sixth toseventh generation on all sides
of my family, give or take.
And um, I've had family memberswho have prevented operating
type machinery and farming.
So I've, you know, just anythingthat's loud and noisy and it's
(03:37):
got a diesel or a badass motorand stuff, you are talking my
language, that's all I can tellyou.
SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
Wow, wow, man, I can imagine.
That's amazing, man.
Deep, deep roots.
Man, that's extremely wellgrounded in the trucking
industry.
You know, a lot of people grewup around trucks, but not
everyone ends up making a careerout of it and also doing what
you're doing, also being a partof the the show business side of
it.
So, at what point did you makethe shift from just you know
(04:02):
doing a little something orgrowing up around it to
personally you wanted to pursueit to make this, you know, a
part of your life, maybe notjust in trucking, but also with
the convoy movie and all ofthat?
SPEAKER_00 (04:15):
So basically I I always figured out I knew at
some point in my life I wantedto be involved in truck, and uh
uh so growing up um I finishedhigh school and when I went to
high school, I went to StateTechnical College of Missouri
with that took heavy equipmentoperations here.
It was a one-year trade program.
And uh I graduated with mydegree in heavy equipment
operating, and uh, which is alsowhere I I are my uh class A at.
(04:38):
And as soon as I graduated, um Istarted doing mechanics stuff
for a couple buddies of mine upin the St.
Louis region who have had truckcompanies and have the same way
as me and stuff, their familiesand dads had businesses and they
grew up around and stuff.
And then about a couple yearsago, I mean I worked into a job
um which was um and based out ofCollenton, which is you know in
(05:00):
the Dallas region.
They manufacture and build andsell all the Ford and Low Pop
products for all thedealerships.
And um, because I I I mentionedI I do have you know good pickup
trucks as much as I do with umsemi trucks, and so I, you know,
I I always knew I wanted to findmy ways to merge into everything
all at one.
And uh when this drag came up,it was kind of the perfect
opportunity.
So I uh I go all across the St.
(05:20):
Louis and the Marktram region,44, I-70, everywhere, just uh
delivering, selling pick-upstuff out of all the dealers.
As a matter of fact, uh I justgot off park about a half an
hour ago Monday.
Average about a 12 to a 13 hourship.
It is a lot of lot of work, likemini truck drivers and stuff,
but somebody's gotta do it.
Somebody's gotta make the worldturning, you know.
(05:41):
Without the blue cows, peopledon't even realize anymore.
Like they don't care about truckdrivers or blue cars like what
they did back in the same stuff,and they don't realize, you
know, that without the truckdrivers and with as we've got
the blue crowd stuff, that thiscountry and this whole planet
does not rotate and stuff.
So it's without the men outthere actually getting
everything to you and stuff,then you don't have a rotating
(06:02):
arm.
SPEAKER_01 (06:03):
Yeah, I mean, think about all those uh companies
that are pushing the AI, youknow, they're gonna need those
data centers.
They got uh they're also gettingnuclear plants so they could
keep those AI systems going, butyou know, those flatbeds and
those crane operators, heavyhaulers and all that.
That's that's a part of thattoo.
You know, that's what keeps itgoing and the maintenance too
that goes on afterwards as well.
(06:24):
I mean, that's there's a lot ofmoving parts, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00 (06:27):
Yeah, and even with your self-driving trucks, I
mean, people think that they canreplace driving stuff.
Uh but a co-worker of mine oncetold me a very good thing.
He always told me, uh, and andthe working and the technical
world, you can always replace,you know, the body, you know,
the employee, but you'll neverreplace the knowledge and and
the skill that some of thesehave.
SPEAKER_01 (06:48):
Absolutely.
I agree, man.
And your family is is deep, deepinto it, man.
The knowledge and all thebackground that you guys have is
the legacy right there, man.
So appreciate you guys'contribution, man.
It means a lot.
So one thing I noticed thatstood out to me in your messages
was you described yourself notas just a truck driver, but also
a collector or enthusiast.
(07:09):
What is that like?
Where did that interest comefrom?
And where did you start lookingat trucks?
And just, you know, it's notjust about work equipment, but
it's pieces of art or historythat that's worth preserving.
SPEAKER_00 (07:20):
So basically, my dad has always been kind of like my
role model, kind of like youknow, my Superman Batman stuff.
You know, everybody likes thefootball players and the big
squirrelies and the burnersstuff.
But for me, you know, my dad wasthe one always there encouraging
me.
And um most of my weekends wewould spend around the shop and
stuff, walking on trucks.
I I'd help him wash them andthen um And then whenever I got
old up to some point and stuff,um, I started, you know, yard
(07:42):
tracking stuff for him aroundyards and whatnot.
And um, as I mentioned, so thetwo guys who I actually went to
work for, doing mechanics stuff,and they actually want me, you
know, climbing around, you know,going climbing up and taking a
look at all their big trucks andwhatnot.
And it really meant a lot ofthese guys, you know, and stuff
because they know that there arenot many kids out there over
like I am and stuff.
That's crazy into it and stuff.
And it it just really made it,you know, personal to them,
(08:04):
knowing that there's still, youknow, some of the generation out
there today that's still in thestuff.
Because like I said, I'm I'monly just trying to put myself
and stuff.
And people said I am a rare oldschool breed, but I tell people
at the end of the day I wouldn'tchange a damn thing about it.
SPEAKER_01 (08:18):
Yeah, don't do that.
Yeah, good good choice, man.
I don't want you to changeanything either, man.
I like where you're going withit.
So for anyone that listen outthere that you may know a
trucking story or maybe anopportunity that came up, and
you know, how did it end up inconnected that with the truck?
I mean, I mean, you got theconvoy, you've been there for 24
years, you you know, you'rethinking about that, you know,
(08:38):
unique trucking world, being aco-owner of that, a screen used
truck, you know, for convoy.
How does that all come about?
SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
So, well, mainly most of the stuff with my dad's
stuff.
He gets most of that stuffbecause he'd been a fan of the
movie his whole life.
And one night he uh this one, ifhe had a big copy, he literally
wore the paper out of it.
He's like the biggest I mean,there's a lot of combo fans
around the world, all overforeign countries, with people
and stuff.
But when it comes to US Convofans, he's like the biggest,
like he's like the thing of USConvoy fans, is what I think of
(09:10):
it.
So when they came out with theMR DVD copy in 2003 or something
like that, he um stay up onenight and uh he could watch like
you know, just noticed it's inthe differences in the fuel tank
sizes, the aircraft mods, andeverything, and the hood sizes
and models, and knowing thatthere were different trucks he's
in the movie.
So by 2005, we had purchased adual truck, which Brad Bike also
(09:32):
owns, you know, Rob partner andour good friend.
We tried to get it back from LosAngeles from an area called
Burbank, where like where aguitar artist had purchased it
from a guy who actually builttrucks for the Universal
Studios.
His name was George Sack.
And uh we we went to go pick itup from Neil and George, and we
drove it, we drove it fromCalifornia, Arizona, and stuff,
(09:53):
and actually just coming downthe mountain stuff, people would
look at that truck and theywould know what that truck is
and they'd be screaming on theCB, freaking the hell out,
knowing that you know, so thenuh we get to uh Kingman,
Arizona, we're taking 66 thewhole way back up, and um by
Kingman, the engine starts toact up and starts dying and
stuff because uh gets in prettyrough shape, so it started to
(10:15):
blow up on us, so we had toleave that at the Wells truck
stop in Kingman, and uh we droveon the way back, left it there
so we could figure out how wewere gonna get it back, and on
the way back of 66, we stoppedin Welga, New Mexico, which is
about 10 to 15 miles north ofTucum Carrey off of 40.
And um, there was a company atthe time named Barulin
Enterprises and Trucking, and uhthey had provided trucks in the
(10:38):
movie.
The real most notable trucks yousee on uh is the K1 comp K-100
Cab over pulling the hopperbottom truck that you see the
character Leser Time drivebehind the rubber duck, and then
there was a 352 Peterbox, samecolor that you see that they're
playing in the song on the wayto these roadblock, and um he
stops in there, telling him whohe is, and they knew he was
(10:58):
gonna be there someday, and theypulled all this documentation
and they had a whole quarrynorth of Logan, which was just
near the Texas state line.
And um they saved everythingbecause he knew he would want to
buy it.
So we worked at the logistics,bought it back to St.
Will solver 25 to 26, and thenuh finally, yeah, 25 to 27, and
the early one or early spring of27, we finally got the truck
(11:21):
back up and running.
And uh, right before thenational show and in 2008 in
Hudson, Kansas, which isactually where we started
working with Rob at one point,we had finally got the trailer
done.
So by that point, we're takingthe truck to all these shows,
and so the work gets out ofthere that it's back out there.
And well, we're getting contactand stuff, but we just couldn't
keep taking time out of ourpersonal or even our jobs to
(11:41):
keep on making these people.
So then north of me and sayingwas there's a place called the
Transit Museum.
My dad has a historyvolunteering there, so he worked
out an agreement where therubber duck and the dual truck
would sit there at the time whenwe had them both.
And then in 2009, um, he just itwas one of those times you
sometimes you get a lot of stuffmore than you bargain for and
you just can't, you know, reallykeep up with it and everything.
(12:03):
So in the fall of 2009, he soldthe dual truck to Brad White.
And then we had the truck, andthen in 2010, we actually came
across a screen use, the firstunit Mac truck, the 71277 model.
The EMI had custom orderedspecifically for the movie.
We bought that in uh spring of2010, right before we went out
to Pleasant, California for theNational Straw there, which is
(12:23):
where we found it.
And we had them uh 2013, soldthe truck to uh the first unit
one, the 77 model, we sold to uhGeo Brothers trucking up in
Quebec City, the sub-31, theSlicking model, which is the one
we have now, the survivingrestored one.
You know, it it's just one ofthose things, you know, you
know, me and my sister were justgrowing up, and my dad just
needed to kind of breakeverything.
So we sold the rubber duck truckfor a buddy of ours, Anthony
(12:46):
Fox, in uh 2015 and Rome,Georgia.
And then he and Brad and Rabblebecame partners and uh going up
and stuff, you know, we kind ofmissing stuff, and uh, he knew
we wanted to get a backgroundday.
So on uh in one point he startedtaking up drag racing and stuff,
and um, he just wanted to funstart, I guess, building
something else.
So um he just kind of got boredwith it saying things.
So he contacted us in uh summerof 22 and said we thought said
(13:09):
it was time, he thought weshould have been enhanced in it.
So that was about a two-yearprocess of starting to sell a
bunch of stuff off to get youknow it back and stuff to make
room for it.
And spring of 24, we picked itup at uh Rad's place in North
Carolina.
We um I brought a bike to St.
Louis and so yeah, we'veactually I'm uh two weeks now
and stuff.
We will have officially hit ourtwo-year mark of having it back
(13:30):
in our hands.
SPEAKER_01 (13:32):
That's amazing.
It's like going all around thecountry.
I mean, man, you're runningcircles around me, man.
I mean, you people like you arethe who I love to have on the
show, man.
It's like it just oozes out ofyou, man.
The trucking knowledge, the thetalk about the motors and all
that, man, you're spot on.
I mean, that movie convoy waspretty legendary.
unknown (13:50):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (13:52):
For a lot of truckers, it it's it represents
the era of trucking where CBradios, convoys rolling out on
the highway, and and the blackMac leading the way.
So, man, can you talk a littlebit about the truck itself or do
you know a little bit about thehistory when it comes to how it
was used in the film?
Did they kind of pass that storyalong to you as well?
SPEAKER_00 (14:12):
Yeah, so like I said, that truck we have now at
the second 1970 Mac, R731.
It's a 78 model, but it'scertainly built with components
of a um the HUD of the sleeperor off of a later 77, 73 to 77
Western Series and stuff.
Because by 73, they had changed,you know, the height, you know,
of the HUD fenders.
If you look in the movie andstuff at the truck and stuff,
you'll see the height of thefenders and the and the
(14:32):
differences and the air cleanersand the tubes and stuff and the
fuel tanks and stuff.
So the truck we have noworiginally, first of all, it's
always been I had an 855 Comeoutmotor, which I am a huge stuff
up for NPC 855 Comet Motors,favorite engine to wound stuff.
It's all we have a runningstuff, but um, that one at the
time had a small cam 350 in themovie with a 9513 speed, 9513
(14:54):
for transmission, and it had asingle tube on my air cleaner
and stuff.
And uh, whenever we bought it,we had so we put a tip terabyte
on double um charger pipe tuberair cleaner to make it more
movie realistic and stuff.
And uh we put a uh 400 big cam 3in it and a 9513 and uh funny
story.
Um when we got the truck back uhabout a year and a half ago, we
(15:16):
were on the way to the show inSt.
Louis, take it to a truck showout in a town called Bornton.
And uh we thought something wasoff and stuff, because by the
time I got the engine back andstuff, we could hear some like
metal thing gun and stuff, andthen that day was when we had
stuff because the they couple ofthings the truck and stuff we
thought we're gonna make it, andthen literally we have metal
screwing stuff in the bandstuff, smoke coming up from uh
(15:37):
under literally underneath thedash inside the cab.
So we kill it, pull it over andstuff, and uh just the next one
stuff.
I realized that it was uh it'swhat we're called, it was a
frank of time stuff.
It was supposed to be a CPL 65,400, big cam 3, but it turns out
that it was a 300 CPL 5k9 thatsomebody had, you know, jacked
up and stuff.
They were on the so they were onmy pistons and lines on from
(15:58):
actually from internationalcoming up motors, parts from a
315, I'm uh big cam 4.
I am local just it was just itwas a mess.
So when we rebuilt the truck onmy in spring of 45, because we
we didn't even think we weregonna have it even running at
all by now and stuff, but inspring of 45, we're hunting and
hunting and stuff, and thenfinally in Omaha, Nebraska, we
(16:19):
find a guy who've got fourOshkosh P19 Air Force Fire
trucks.
All of them have four big cam3400 motors with literally less
than 17,000 miles on them, andthen all 83841 stuff, like
they're like recon brand newmore and stuff.
And so we buy two of the foremanstuff, we put one inside the
truck, and we bought asuperintendent public and stuff,
and um, we literally just gotthe last thing tweaking up right
(16:40):
before we left up for theMadison Nationals in June.
The Monday night, right beforewe living stuff, we took it for
a four-mile test drive, and thenand then since then stuff we put
maybe roughly about at leastabout a thousand miles on the
truck since, and it's not evenit's mostly and stuff because of
two things we got to do with andstuff, but we put a thousand
miles on it since, and it's andit's literally ran better than
it's ever ran its entire lifeand stuff.
(17:02):
That power train swap, I think,was actually much needed either
way and stuff because the truckhas been performing the best
it's ever been.
SPEAKER_01 (17:08):
That's amazing.
Hey, big ups to Omaha out there,man.
There's a lot of great peopleout there.
I get to go out there sometimesmyself, and man, you guys hit
the jackpot with that, man, andmade it right, got it tight.
Hey, that's great.
So, yeah, restoring andmaintaining something can't
always be a you know a smallproject.
It's gonna be a lot of work.
And you guys put that in.
(17:29):
What kind of work goes intokeeping a truck in good shape,
making it, you know, stillrepresent what it used to be or
how it's still perceived in theeyes of many people?
What would you say helps thatprocess?
SPEAKER_00 (17:40):
Well, first of all, I'd say don't, because if
anything, you you've got to bestupid enough to build a country
money and go and be a fool.
Um I mean, just gotta be likemore like if you know what's
looking for as long as oldschool like old truck parts,
which doesn't know how to findstuff.
Like if you're really pullingattention to detail and stuff,
like for example, like when Isaid with like eight, five com
five commas awards.
(18:01):
I love big camps, small camps,NDC stuff, favorite motors,
super wild stuff, but likethat's when we had the when we
built the rubber dot truck andstuff, they were a dominance,
like they were going for likeplaces all the ones that you
played on South America wantedthem.
But but now I mean they're justrents, that's what I mean.
If you know what's good at theend stuff, and if you know what
you're looking for, it's one ofthe like the old school and
stuff, you do some research, youdo some hunting, reach out the
(18:23):
multiple and stuff, and just myadvice is don't give up, just
keep on looking, and eventuallyyou'll find that you know native
on the haystack.
SPEAKER_01 (18:57):
Nice.
That's great.
Uh keep the people out thereworking to keep those memories
alive because uh they're muchneeded and we appreciate them
and all the hard work that theydo, just like yourself.
I mean, man, you're not justalso an enthusiast, you're a
driver.
What gives you a differentperspective than someone who who
only collects trucks?
How does you actually, you know,working in the truck in shape
(19:18):
the way you look at preservingolder rigs and the story behind
it?
What keeps you going personally?
SPEAKER_00 (19:29):
You know, a lot of jobs with them attracting stuff,
so I just go out there, I justyou know, put myself out there
every day, just keep on, justyou know, made a meeting with
friends, struggling stuff, andjust trying to make things very
further and stuff for the futuregenerations, demand stuff,
because the for me and us reallymixes things where we make with
fun stuff as I send to the fansmoving stuff, and I even showed
(19:49):
a number of kids and stuff, notmany of them recently show, but
there's a fair amount to wherethat you know that they'll grow
up around Alex with their dads.
A couple buddies of mineactually have kids that were in
their elementary school andstuff that actually come to our
shows and stuff to come and seethe truck and stuff.
So to me, just you know, anytimea band comes up, especially kid
and stuff.
As a fact, uh, when I was at adrop-on show and at the guilty
(20:10):
straw stream and stuff, andbefore I left that show and
stuff, I had a guy whosegrandson was a huge friend in
the movie Conway and stuff,probably the biggest kid fan
I've ever seen.
He was like seven or eight yearsold, but his grandfather yelled
at him, told him to come over,and uh, he told me who I was.
And and then the kid, you know,automatically without thinking
about stuff, he just wraps hisarms around around me, gives me
a great big hug, straps crankersto join.
(20:32):
He's like, Thank you so much.
This is to me, I mean, that'sthe best fun stuff.
Is make my favorite part isbasically the younger generation
stuff, the kids, and just themgetting this experience and
stuff, knowing that I was withthem and stuff, that's what
really makes it, you know,pretty first me and stuff.
And and and that's what I'mthat's a big part of what I'm
trying to do and stuff.
I'm trying to keep this alivefor the generations to enjoy.
(20:52):
Even if it's not well like asgreat as a nonstop, I still
believe at the end of the daythat there's hope for some
people out there.
That's that's what we gotta lookfor, man.
We gotta look for the good init.
You can't always look at the badsides of it.
SPEAKER_01 (21:04):
That's it.
Yep, that's it.
I mean, it's amazing how thosetrucks can take you away from
your problems, too.
Yeah, I mean, you start workingon the truck or you start
driving the truck, seems likeyou leave everything in right
behind you in the rear view.
So that's good, man.
Thank you for doing that andputting it out there trying to
help other young ones like uhyour peers and even older ones
(21:25):
like myself.
So yeah, man, thank you forcoming on the show.
I mean, really uh eye-opener towhat it's like to be a driver
and a restorer, collector and anenthusiast for the trucking
industry.
I really appreciate that, man.
I mean, imagine when people seethat truck, when they see it for
the first time, or when theyalso learn about it, and the
more that they see that there'sa story behind this, pretty
(21:46):
pretty soon you get a goodreaction from people.
I mean, you make people smileafter that's uh that's a great
gift you can give them.
Uh especially when drivers arereal watching the movie.
So, yeah, there's a lot ofpeople out there.
What what has the response beenlike that you've seen from
people out there?
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
Uh mainly on other there's been a pretty good
amount of stuff as invited.
Probably some of my mostfavorite one stuff are people
like from like Australia,Germany for three other stuff.
I mean, that's another one of mygood favorite fans.
It's the foreign fan stuff.
I mean, some of the nicestpeople I've met who are common
fans who do not hear from theeasy stuff.
And one day I hope they'll maketheir countries and stuff.
But um, I've met a lot of greatpeople from Old War and stuff,
(22:22):
and just knowing that theirhistory and stuff just I mean,
it really it really makes itworthwhile at the end of the
day, knowing that we, you know,and we dumped all this countless
money and hours into and stuffjust so that people could
relive, you know, theirchildhood stuff.
I mean, it it it really makes itpersonal.
I mean, because cause not likejust for guys like me and my dad
and stuff, but for people allall over the world and stuff.
(22:44):
And and then they can say, hey,I grew up watching this in movie
theaters or the drive-ins, or mydad took me to sit watch the
truck, or just whatever the caseis.
It it really makes it work a lotat the end of the day.
SPEAKER_01 (22:55):
Yeah, it's the deep roots uh of America right there,
man.
It's huge.
And hopefully we can get somemomentum back for Hollywood to
do some more movies like that,man.
We can love to see some newstuff.
And maybe not just with all theCGI stuff, but more so with the
real, you know, organic stuff.
I think people are really tryingto go back to the way things
used to be because of you know,having something tangible on
(23:17):
your hand versus all the digitalstuff.
I mean, that stuff is getting tobe so massive that the stuff
that's more organic is gettingto be more more real, more
something that people want.
SPEAKER_00 (23:27):
So yeah, we're good about doing that stuff.
Um, but yeah, um, yeah, I meanwe're glad to have a bag and
stuff.
Um when we did have the truckand stuff, and we actually go
okay and stuff, just um, youknow, sometimes you get too busy
lap and just you know, even weneed to kind of like and just to
break in between stuff, just tokind of, you know, just you
know, I mean, yeah, I meanthat's so I mean but at the end
(23:48):
of the day because the stuff isthe hobby and stuff.
I mean, we always try to pick itup, you know, of our family to
want that first and stuff.
But the fact that our family andother stuff supports us that
stuff, I mean, it it reallymeans the world.
As a fact, um, one of my um myaunts and stuff um, she is she
is a big supporter on our hobbyand stuff, and it and it really
means the it it it really meansthe world and stuff, you know,
knowing that you have a lot offriends and some relatives on
(24:11):
your side who support you andstuff.
My step-grandfather did CDLtruck and stuff.
I'm on the phone with him once aweek and stuff, and he and I
always do stuff again stuff.
We're talking stuff, just andjust sharing us talks and it's
making memories and this kind ofstuff.
It just it it's what really, youknow, it's what really makes it
love to see, you know, I knowthe day into the future.
SPEAKER_01 (24:29):
Man, I love hearing that.
Great community, supporting eachother, lifting each other up.
Uh, that's what we need.
That's what we need more of.
You know, we we're not gonna letthat go so easily.
We're gonna try to hold on tothat.
You know, I think everybodyneeds a little bit of that in
their life, or if not, I'll needa lot of it in their life.
So thank you so much for that.
I mean, looking ahead, what doyou guys see?
What do you got planned comingup?
Uh any truck shows or anythinglike that to look forward to in
(24:50):
the future, or I hope maybe theyounger people out here can can
get and get involved and alsomaybe they can do these trucks
for themselves firsthand.
SPEAKER_00 (24:59):
Yeah.
So my first before I uh before Iget in, Steph, I I know that you
had um uh mentioned one thing Idid want to mention up was our
work with American truck on theTV show.
So we were actually gonna robsome uh technical control and
stuff and what shop went andthat before the show and stuff.
So we helped him ride a bunch ofshowing stuff from uh the guy
with the beach in the beartruck, um, I know him and stuff,
uh Wayne um Anderson, who did uhSmoke in the Man episode and
(25:20):
stuff, but he's gonna truck themnow and stuff.
And um he plans, I think,returned with our show and
festival here in May.
And but I mean, but really, I'mputting into it stuff.
If we hadn't sold the rubberduck and uh and the dual truck,
I probably sold the Tom, I wouldnever forgive myself.
Because throwing the truck theBrad and then but selling the
truck to Anthony and stuff, andthen Rob getting connected with
them and stuff, and we bring allthe people together and stuff.
(25:41):
To me, selling the trucks andhaving them not forbidden stuff,
that was really a lot more goodthat came out and stuff.
Because I mean, because then youmeet so many people that you
don't think you're gonna meet,and then they share the same
crazy interest as you and stuff,and you make a lot of new
friends along the way.
Just I mean, that's that's theone for me in truck shows and
selling some of these things andletting them somebody else get
to have to explain that stuffand just meeting the people and
just bringing us all togetherand stuff, old and new phase and
(26:03):
stuff.
I mean, that's what really makesthis hobby worth it at the end
of the day, to me personally.
SPEAKER_01 (26:08):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (26:11):
Everything happens for the reason.
That's all I can say.
SPEAKER_01 (26:14):
There you go.
Yeah, like uh I appreciate youcoming on the show.
I mean, we got Patrick Brunohere on the show for anyone here
to flipstand.
A lot of deep roots in theindustries, uh, a lot of great
things he's been able to do.
Also, with like I said, Americantrucker.
What's it been like working withthem, trying to make some dreams
come true on that side?
What has it been like?
SPEAKER_00 (26:33):
Uh it was it was pretty good work and stuff.
It was a great side gig to help,you know, make some good money
and stuff.
And uh we went on with peoplelike it said, Anthony Fox, Brad
Wycom, Brad and Anthony are hugecobble fans of Queen and stuff.
They're great people.
Buddy Mine has got the beach inthe bear truck or Wayne
Anderson.
Um they're all great people andstuff.
And uh good thing and stuff up,which will actually bring me to
(26:54):
the um next topic um shows.
Um so as I said, I'm sittingover here at the park right now,
Festus Missouri, where we cryparking stuff.
It's where we do the um uhrelaxing the park this year, May
15th to the 16th of this year.
Um uh at Friday, 9 to 4,Saturday, 8 to 6, and uh Friday
evening, I host the convoythrough town and stuff on for
all the truckers that come.
(27:15):
So this year we'll have we planto have the rubber duck, Wayne's
stomach truck, and the screen isbeing bear truck all together
here like we did up in Madison.
And we'll be going toSpringfield, Mr.
this year for the 18th centurynational.
We'll have all their trucksaround stuff.
So um, that's kind of what we'reall hoping for this year's just
to keep the memories of howwe're bull-year rolling along,
getting all of us together andstuff, because you know, you're
(27:35):
only giving one lap of them.
So and we all get some whizzinglove, like I said, and stuff.
So I'm trying to get us all tojust slow down a little bit,
just take some time, you know,relive your past and just chill
out, just hang on, just have agood time.
To me, the bats or trucks areabout and stuff.
And I I think that I think thata lot of us need to look back at
sometimes that you know, youknow, that you know, that
instead of you know worryingabout, you know, whether you're
(27:57):
not gonna make them on stuff,sometimes you just need to just
take it in and just be gratefulwith what you already have and
find ways just to make that, youknow, useful in the meantime
instead of you know stressingover what you can't control for
the next day.
SPEAKER_01 (28:10):
So yeah, and we definitely got a lot of stuff
that we can't control.
Uh we can put our input inthere, but it's not gonna change
a lot of things.
Uh so staying positive, thinkingabout, like you said, staying in
the present.
And uh that's the gift that wealways can enjoy.
I mean, it's uh it's a huge giftto be able to have individuals
in a community like yourself.
And what's one way that peoplecan connect with you?
I know community is important.
(28:31):
What's a good way for people toreach out and be a part of that
community uh like you have foryourself there?
SPEAKER_00 (28:36):
Uh so my my profile name, Facebook Patrick Thomas.
Um I get messages and requestsfrom fans all the time.
You can go on there.
I'm uh my my uh my favorite pagefor the event.
It's uh Drifton Arsenal Convoy.
I've got my phone number, myemail on there.
People want to look into that.
I've got my uh Instagram, minideck 261, TikTok, mini deck 261.
I'm I I'm just always I'm justgonna click stuff.
(28:57):
I'm just trying to bring youknow hope and trying to recreate
some members stuff.
And I'm I'm hoping that Infestusand Sinkfield and one show rain
tour in July and many othershouldn't stuff.
I'm hoping that people will comeout or sit back, take it away,
have a nice, you know, a fewweekends and just have a good
time as well.
SPEAKER_01 (29:15):
I love it.
I love it, man.
Hey, thanks for sharing yourstory.
Uh as always, you know, peopleare hearing about individuals in
the trucking industry.
It's it's huge.
And if we can find a way to keepconnecting with each other and
pursue that history and keep it,you know, preserved and also
keep it where people actuallyunderstand what what this whole
dream is about, keeping that,keeping that going.
(29:36):
So, man, you're doing that, andI appreciate it.
So, yeah, thank you.
Yeah, and your family.
So, and big ups to everybodyover there, man.
That's awesome.
Uh so yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:48):
And yeah, I I hope to stay in touch and uh who
knows, maybe halt it one day,maybe uh I'm hoping that you'll
get the chance over to thechuckle one day and maybe even
join us uh uh at a show someday.
I would um I I would be awesome.
SPEAKER_01 (30:02):
It would be.
Uh that would be a dream cometrue, man.
I appreciate it.
And so for everyone out therelistening, if you enjoy this
episode, learning a little moreabout Patrick Bruno and all the
passion that he has for theindustry, uh be sure to follow
the podcast, share it withsomeone you know uh in the
trucking community or beyond.
And you know, until next time,you know, we will be out here
making shows and episodes likethis Truck and Ray, and uh
(30:22):
that's all for this episode.
That's delivered.
Welcome back to That's Delivered.
(00:01):
I'm your host, Trucking Ray, andtoday we got another great show
for you.
A podcast is all about peoplewho keep freight moving.
There are stories behind thetrucking industry.
And today we're talking a littlebit about trucking history, a
truck that a lot of drivers willrecognize from the most famous
trucking movies that's ever beenmade.
Today's guest is Patrick Bruno.
Patrick is a truck driver,collector, enthusiast who is
also a co-owner of a screen usedtruck from the 1978 movie
(00:25):
Convoy, a legendary mag truckconnected with Chris
Christofferson's character, therubber duck.
Patrick actually reached outafter seeing this episode, Rob
Mariani, who has mentioned hehad worked with us in the past
and he wanted to share his storyand talk about the truck and
some of the the plans he hasmoving forward.
So, Patrick, welcome to theshow.
(00:47):
Yo, Patrick, what's happeningover there?
How you doing?
SPEAKER_00 (00:51):
How are you doing, buddy?
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
I'm doing pretty good.
Yeah, I'm so glad to have you onthe show and talk about what
you're doing.
I mean you're doing greatthings.
And man, you know, you and Rob,you know, you guys did a lot of
great things too.
Um when I talk about that uhhistory.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Yeah, as a fact uh I'm actually standing behind my
tribute daily, which I call themoney duck.
And uh believe it or not, I'm uhsitting on uh at the site of our
um uh uh every year we do a showcalled The Lights in the Park.
And uh I'm parked right hereright now at the park where we
host the Philadelphia.
I thought I'd kind of bring someyou know fun to have the show
here.
SPEAKER_01 (01:26):
Nice.
Thank you.
Appreciate you doing that, man.
Not easy out there trying to doall things necessary to put that
truck out there and put put themessage out there for people.
Let's start with yourbackground, a little bit about
what you mentioned to me fromyou know, family of truckers,
mechanics, and operators.
Tell us about that.
Well, what's what's it likegrowing up around the trucking
industry and when you firstrealized that this industry was
(01:49):
what you wanted to be a part offor yourself?
SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
So basically, so I was born in uh fall of 2001, a
year before that.
My dad, which many knowing bythe name of Dan Bruno, he
started his first dump truckcompany because he always wanted
to find a way to make you knowmoney in trucking, which you
know that can fox for to bethese days.
But uh But no, we am uh so mygrandfather he um gave him the
(02:12):
idea of getting into dumptrucks, and about a few months
after I was born, um, herandomly took me with him one
day and uh I rode and got a dumptruck.
He had a first truck he everhad, it was a it was a custom
ordered Mac RB model that cameout of the McCundry plant in
Allentown.
And uh that first ride in thattruck is what got me hooked on
for a fly-up and stuff.
(02:32):
Some people they wait until likemaybe their like their preschool
years, their own match screenand stuff, but literally just
right after I was born was whenI got hooked on it for life.
And um yeah, as I've mentionedbefore, I'm I come from a whole
family of uh polo cars aroundand operating big machinery and
stuff.
When my forefathers first camehere to St.
Louis, um one of them, one of mygreat-great-grandfathers, uh, he
(02:54):
was a uh walker and a tree man.
And uh both my greatgrandfathers, one on my dad's
side and one on my mom's side,uh, they were both truckers.
My mom's side, my grandfather,he drove for Yel his whole
career.
And one on my dad's side, Idon't know much about him.
And then uh, and then two of myuh step-grandfathers, and one of
them, uh he was a uh CDOinstructor in his career.
(03:15):
And uh the other one, um hedrove them a free oil company
over in uh East St.
Louis for his whole time.
And um, my dad, as I mentioned,he's had two trunk companies in
the past.
And so yeah, I'm about sixth toseventh generation on all sides
of my family, give or take.
And um, I've had family memberswho have prevented operating
type machinery and farming.
So I've, you know, just anythingthat's loud and noisy and it's
(03:37):
got a diesel or a badass motorand stuff, you are talking my
language, that's all I can tellyou.
SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
Wow, wow, man, I can imagine.
That's amazing, man.
Deep, deep roots.
Man, that's extremely wellgrounded in the trucking
industry.
You know, a lot of people grewup around trucks, but not
everyone ends up making a careerout of it and also doing what
you're doing, also being a partof the the show business side of
it.
So, at what point did you makethe shift from just you know
(04:02):
doing a little something orgrowing up around it to
personally you wanted to pursueit to make this, you know, a
part of your life, maybe notjust in trucking, but also with
the convoy movie and all ofthat?
SPEAKER_00 (04:15):
So basically I I always figured out I knew at
some point in my life I wantedto be involved in truck, and uh
uh so growing up um I finishedhigh school and when I went to
high school, I went to StateTechnical College of Missouri
with that took heavy equipmentoperations here.
It was a one-year trade program.
And uh I graduated with mydegree in heavy equipment
operating, and uh, which is alsowhere I I are my uh class A at.
(04:38):
And as soon as I graduated, um Istarted doing mechanics stuff
for a couple buddies of mine upin the St.
Louis region who have had truckcompanies and have the same way
as me and stuff, their familiesand dads had businesses and they
grew up around and stuff.
And then about a couple yearsago, I mean I worked into a job
um which was um and based out ofCollenton, which is you know in
(05:00):
the Dallas region.
They manufacture and build andsell all the Ford and Low Pop
products for all thedealerships.
And um, because I I I mentionedI I do have you know good pickup
trucks as much as I do with umsemi trucks, and so I, you know,
I I always knew I wanted to findmy ways to merge into everything
all at one.
And uh when this drag came up,it was kind of the perfect
opportunity.
So I uh I go all across the St.
(05:20):
Louis and the Marktram region,44, I-70, everywhere, just uh
delivering, selling pick-upstuff out of all the dealers.
As a matter of fact, uh I justgot off park about a half an
hour ago Monday.
Average about a 12 to a 13 hourship.
It is a lot of lot of work, likemini truck drivers and stuff,
but somebody's gotta do it.
Somebody's gotta make the worldturning, you know.
(05:41):
Without the blue cows, peopledon't even realize anymore.
Like they don't care about truckdrivers or blue cars like what
they did back in the same stuff,and they don't realize, you
know, that without the truckdrivers and with as we've got
the blue crowd stuff, that thiscountry and this whole planet
does not rotate and stuff.
So it's without the men outthere actually getting
everything to you and stuff,then you don't have a rotating
(06:02):
arm.
SPEAKER_01 (06:03):
Yeah, I mean, think about all those uh companies
that are pushing the AI, youknow, they're gonna need those
data centers.
They got uh they're also gettingnuclear plants so they could
keep those AI systems going, butyou know, those flatbeds and
those crane operators, heavyhaulers and all that.
That's that's a part of thattoo.
You know, that's what keeps itgoing and the maintenance too
that goes on afterwards as well.
(06:24):
I mean, that's there's a lot ofmoving parts, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00 (06:27):
Yeah, and even with your self-driving trucks, I
mean, people think that they canreplace driving stuff.
Uh but a co-worker of mine oncetold me a very good thing.
He always told me, uh, and andthe working and the technical
world, you can always replace,you know, the body, you know,
the employee, but you'll neverreplace the knowledge and and
the skill that some of thesehave.
SPEAKER_01 (06:48):
Absolutely.
I agree, man.
And your family is is deep, deepinto it, man.
The knowledge and all thebackground that you guys have is
the legacy right there, man.
So appreciate you guys'contribution, man.
It means a lot.
So one thing I noticed thatstood out to me in your messages
was you described yourself notas just a truck driver, but also
a collector or enthusiast.
(07:09):
What is that like?
Where did that interest comefrom?
And where did you start lookingat trucks?
And just, you know, it's notjust about work equipment, but
it's pieces of art or historythat that's worth preserving.
SPEAKER_00 (07:20):
So basically, my dad has always been kind of like my
role model, kind of like youknow, my Superman Batman stuff.
You know, everybody likes thefootball players and the big
squirrelies and the burnersstuff.
But for me, you know, my dad wasthe one always there encouraging
me.
And um most of my weekends wewould spend around the shop and
stuff, walking on trucks.
I I'd help him wash them andthen um And then whenever I got
old up to some point and stuff,um, I started, you know, yard
(07:42):
tracking stuff for him aroundyards and whatnot.
And um, as I mentioned, so thetwo guys who I actually went to
work for, doing mechanics stuff,and they actually want me, you
know, climbing around, you know,going climbing up and taking a
look at all their big trucks andwhatnot.
And it really meant a lot ofthese guys, you know, and stuff
because they know that there arenot many kids out there over
like I am and stuff.
That's crazy into it and stuff.
And it it just really made it,you know, personal to them,
(08:04):
knowing that there's still, youknow, some of the generation out
there today that's still in thestuff.
Because like I said, I'm I'monly just trying to put myself
and stuff.
And people said I am a rare oldschool breed, but I tell people
at the end of the day I wouldn'tchange a damn thing about it.
SPEAKER_01 (08:18):
Yeah, don't do that.
Yeah, good good choice, man.
I don't want you to changeanything either, man.
I like where you're going withit.
So for anyone that listen outthere that you may know a
trucking story or maybe anopportunity that came up, and
you know, how did it end up inconnected that with the truck?
I mean, I mean, you got theconvoy, you've been there for 24
years, you you know, you'rethinking about that, you know,
(08:38):
unique trucking world, being aco-owner of that, a screen used
truck, you know, for convoy.
How does that all come about?
SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
So, well, mainly most of the stuff with my dad's
stuff.
He gets most of that stuffbecause he'd been a fan of the
movie his whole life.
And one night he uh this one, ifhe had a big copy, he literally
wore the paper out of it.
He's like the biggest I mean,there's a lot of combo fans
around the world, all overforeign countries, with people
and stuff.
But when it comes to US Convofans, he's like the biggest,
like he's like the thing of USConvoy fans, is what I think of
(09:10):
it.
So when they came out with theMR DVD copy in 2003 or something
like that, he um stay up onenight and uh he could watch like
you know, just noticed it's inthe differences in the fuel tank
sizes, the aircraft mods, andeverything, and the hood sizes
and models, and knowing thatthere were different trucks he's
in the movie.
So by 2005, we had purchased adual truck, which Brad Bike also
(09:32):
owns, you know, Rob partner andour good friend.
We tried to get it back from LosAngeles from an area called
Burbank, where like where aguitar artist had purchased it
from a guy who actually builttrucks for the Universal
Studios.
His name was George Sack.
And uh we we went to go pick itup from Neil and George, and we
drove it, we drove it fromCalifornia, Arizona, and stuff,
(09:53):
and actually just coming downthe mountain stuff, people would
look at that truck and theywould know what that truck is
and they'd be screaming on theCB, freaking the hell out,
knowing that you know, so thenuh we get to uh Kingman,
Arizona, we're taking 66 thewhole way back up, and um by
Kingman, the engine starts toact up and starts dying and
stuff because uh gets in prettyrough shape, so it started to
(10:15):
blow up on us, so we had toleave that at the Wells truck
stop in Kingman, and uh we droveon the way back, left it there
so we could figure out how wewere gonna get it back, and on
the way back of 66, we stoppedin Welga, New Mexico, which is
about 10 to 15 miles north ofTucum Carrey off of 40.
And um, there was a company atthe time named Barulin
Enterprises and Trucking, and uhthey had provided trucks in the
(10:38):
movie.
The real most notable trucks yousee on uh is the K1 comp K-100
Cab over pulling the hopperbottom truck that you see the
character Leser Time drivebehind the rubber duck, and then
there was a 352 Peterbox, samecolor that you see that they're
playing in the song on the wayto these roadblock, and um he
stops in there, telling him whohe is, and they knew he was
(10:58):
gonna be there someday, and theypulled all this documentation
and they had a whole quarrynorth of Logan, which was just
near the Texas state line.
And um they saved everythingbecause he knew he would want to
buy it.
So we worked at the logistics,bought it back to St.
Will solver 25 to 26, and thenuh finally, yeah, 25 to 27, and
the early one or early spring of27, we finally got the truck
(11:21):
back up and running.
And uh, right before thenational show and in 2008 in
Hudson, Kansas, which isactually where we started
working with Rob at one point,we had finally got the trailer
done.
So by that point, we're takingthe truck to all these shows,
and so the work gets out ofthere that it's back out there.
And well, we're getting contactand stuff, but we just couldn't
keep taking time out of ourpersonal or even our jobs to
(11:41):
keep on making these people.
So then north of me and sayingwas there's a place called the
Transit Museum.
My dad has a historyvolunteering there, so he worked
out an agreement where therubber duck and the dual truck
would sit there at the time whenwe had them both.
And then in 2009, um, he just itwas one of those times you
sometimes you get a lot of stuffmore than you bargain for and
you just can't, you know, reallykeep up with it and everything.
(12:03):
So in the fall of 2009, he soldthe dual truck to Brad White.
And then we had the truck, andthen in 2010, we actually came
across a screen use, the firstunit Mac truck, the 71277 model.
The EMI had custom orderedspecifically for the movie.
We bought that in uh spring of2010, right before we went out
to Pleasant, California for theNational Straw there, which is
(12:23):
where we found it.
And we had them uh 2013, soldthe truck to uh the first unit
one, the 77 model, we sold to uhGeo Brothers trucking up in
Quebec City, the sub-31, theSlicking model, which is the one
we have now, the survivingrestored one.
You know, it it's just one ofthose things, you know, you
know, me and my sister were justgrowing up, and my dad just
needed to kind of breakeverything.
So we sold the rubber duck truckfor a buddy of ours, Anthony
(12:46):
Fox, in uh 2015 and Rome,Georgia.
And then he and Brad and Rabblebecame partners and uh going up
and stuff, you know, we kind ofmissing stuff, and uh, he knew
we wanted to get a backgroundday.
So on uh in one point he startedtaking up drag racing and stuff,
and um, he just wanted to funstart, I guess, building
something else.
So um he just kind of got boredwith it saying things.
So he contacted us in uh summerof 22 and said we thought said
(13:09):
it was time, he thought weshould have been enhanced in it.
So that was about a two-yearprocess of starting to sell a
bunch of stuff off to get youknow it back and stuff to make
room for it.
And spring of 24, we picked itup at uh Rad's place in North
Carolina.
We um I brought a bike to St.
Louis and so yeah, we'veactually I'm uh two weeks now
and stuff.
We will have officially hit ourtwo-year mark of having it back
(13:30):
in our hands.
SPEAKER_01 (13:32):
That's amazing.
It's like going all around thecountry.
I mean, man, you're runningcircles around me, man.
I mean, you people like you arethe who I love to have on the
show, man.
It's like it just oozes out ofyou, man.
The trucking knowledge, the thetalk about the motors and all
that, man, you're spot on.
I mean, that movie convoy waspretty legendary.
unknown (13:50):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (13:52):
For a lot of truckers, it it's it represents
the era of trucking where CBradios, convoys rolling out on
the highway, and and the blackMac leading the way.
So, man, can you talk a littlebit about the truck itself or do
you know a little bit about thehistory when it comes to how it
was used in the film?
Did they kind of pass that storyalong to you as well?
SPEAKER_00 (14:12):
Yeah, so like I said, that truck we have now at
the second 1970 Mac, R731.
It's a 78 model, but it'scertainly built with components
of a um the HUD of the sleeperor off of a later 77, 73 to 77
Western Series and stuff.
Because by 73, they had changed,you know, the height, you know,
of the HUD fenders.
If you look in the movie andstuff at the truck and stuff,
you'll see the height of thefenders and the and the
(14:32):
differences and the air cleanersand the tubes and stuff and the
fuel tanks and stuff.
So the truck we have noworiginally, first of all, it's
always been I had an 855 Comeoutmotor, which I am a huge stuff
up for NPC 855 Comet Motors,favorite engine to wound stuff.
It's all we have a runningstuff, but um, that one at the
time had a small cam 350 in themovie with a 9513 speed, 9513
(14:54):
for transmission, and it had asingle tube on my air cleaner
and stuff.
And uh, whenever we bought it,we had so we put a tip terabyte
on double um charger pipe tuberair cleaner to make it more
movie realistic and stuff.
And uh we put a uh 400 big cam 3in it and a 9513 and uh funny
story.
Um when we got the truck back uhabout a year and a half ago, we
(15:16):
were on the way to the show inSt.
Louis, take it to a truck showout in a town called Bornton.
And uh we thought something wasoff and stuff, because by the
time I got the engine back andstuff, we could hear some like
metal thing gun and stuff, andthen that day was when we had
stuff because the they couple ofthings the truck and stuff we
thought we're gonna make it, andthen literally we have metal
screwing stuff in the bandstuff, smoke coming up from uh
(15:37):
under literally underneath thedash inside the cab.
So we kill it, pull it over andstuff, and uh just the next one
stuff.
I realized that it was uh it'swhat we're called, it was a
frank of time stuff.
It was supposed to be a CPL 65,400, big cam 3, but it turns out
that it was a 300 CPL 5k9 thatsomebody had, you know, jacked
up and stuff.
They were on the so they were onmy pistons and lines on from
(15:58):
actually from internationalcoming up motors, parts from a
315, I'm uh big cam 4.
I am local just it was just itwas a mess.
So when we rebuilt the truck onmy in spring of 45, because we
we didn't even think we weregonna have it even running at
all by now and stuff, but inspring of 45, we're hunting and
hunting and stuff, and thenfinally in Omaha, Nebraska, we
(16:19):
find a guy who've got fourOshkosh P19 Air Force Fire
trucks.
All of them have four big cam3400 motors with literally less
than 17,000 miles on them, andthen all 83841 stuff, like
they're like recon brand newmore and stuff.
And so we buy two of the foremanstuff, we put one inside the
truck, and we bought asuperintendent public and stuff,
and um, we literally just gotthe last thing tweaking up right
(16:40):
before we left up for theMadison Nationals in June.
The Monday night, right beforewe living stuff, we took it for
a four-mile test drive, and thenand then since then stuff we put
maybe roughly about at leastabout a thousand miles on the
truck since, and it's not evenit's mostly and stuff because of
two things we got to do with andstuff, but we put a thousand
miles on it since, and it's andit's literally ran better than
it's ever ran its entire lifeand stuff.
(17:02):
That power train swap, I think,was actually much needed either
way and stuff because the truckhas been performing the best
it's ever been.
SPEAKER_01 (17:08):
That's amazing.
Hey, big ups to Omaha out there,man.
There's a lot of great peopleout there.
I get to go out there sometimesmyself, and man, you guys hit
the jackpot with that, man, andmade it right, got it tight.
Hey, that's great.
So, yeah, restoring andmaintaining something can't
always be a you know a smallproject.
It's gonna be a lot of work.
And you guys put that in.
(17:29):
What kind of work goes intokeeping a truck in good shape,
making it, you know, stillrepresent what it used to be or
how it's still perceived in theeyes of many people?
What would you say helps thatprocess?
SPEAKER_00 (17:40):
Well, first of all, I'd say don't, because if
anything, you you've got to bestupid enough to build a country
money and go and be a fool.
Um I mean, just gotta be likemore like if you know what's
looking for as long as oldschool like old truck parts,
which doesn't know how to findstuff.
Like if you're really pullingattention to detail and stuff,
like for example, like when Isaid with like eight, five com
five commas awards.
(18:01):
I love big camps, small camps,NDC stuff, favorite motors,
super wild stuff, but likethat's when we had the when we
built the rubber dot truck andstuff, they were a dominance,
like they were going for likeplaces all the ones that you
played on South America wantedthem.
But but now I mean they're justrents, that's what I mean.
If you know what's good at theend stuff, and if you know what
you're looking for, it's one ofthe like the old school and
stuff, you do some research, youdo some hunting, reach out the
(18:23):
multiple and stuff, and just myadvice is don't give up, just
keep on looking, and eventuallyyou'll find that you know native
on the haystack.
SPEAKER_01 (18:57):
Nice.
That's great.
Uh keep the people out thereworking to keep those memories
alive because uh they're muchneeded and we appreciate them
and all the hard work that theydo, just like yourself.
I mean, man, you're not justalso an enthusiast, you're a
driver.
What gives you a differentperspective than someone who who
only collects trucks?
How does you actually, you know,working in the truck in shape
(19:18):
the way you look at preservingolder rigs and the story behind
it?
What keeps you going personally?
SPEAKER_00 (19:29):
You know, a lot of jobs with them attracting stuff,
so I just go out there, I justyou know, put myself out there
every day, just keep on, justyou know, made a meeting with
friends, struggling stuff, andjust trying to make things very
further and stuff for the futuregenerations, demand stuff,
because the for me and us reallymixes things where we make with
fun stuff as I send to the fansmoving stuff, and I even showed
(19:49):
a number of kids and stuff, notmany of them recently show, but
there's a fair amount to wherethat you know that they'll grow
up around Alex with their dads.
A couple buddies of mineactually have kids that were in
their elementary school andstuff that actually come to our
shows and stuff to come and seethe truck and stuff.
So to me, just you know, anytimea band comes up, especially kid
and stuff.
As a fact, uh, when I was at adrop-on show and at the guilty
(20:10):
straw stream and stuff, andbefore I left that show and
stuff, I had a guy whosegrandson was a huge friend in
the movie Conway and stuff,probably the biggest kid fan
I've ever seen.
He was like seven or eight yearsold, but his grandfather yelled
at him, told him to come over,and uh, he told me who I was.
And and then the kid, you know,automatically without thinking
about stuff, he just wraps hisarms around around me, gives me
a great big hug, straps crankersto join.
(20:32):
He's like, Thank you so much.
This is to me, I mean, that'sthe best fun stuff.
Is make my favorite part isbasically the younger generation
stuff, the kids, and just themgetting this experience and
stuff, knowing that I was withthem and stuff, that's what
really makes it, you know,pretty first me and stuff.
And and and that's what I'mthat's a big part of what I'm
trying to do and stuff.
I'm trying to keep this alivefor the generations to enjoy.
(20:52):
Even if it's not well like asgreat as a nonstop, I still
believe at the end of the daythat there's hope for some
people out there.
That's that's what we gotta lookfor, man.
We gotta look for the good init.
You can't always look at the badsides of it.
SPEAKER_01 (21:04):
That's it.
Yep, that's it.
I mean, it's amazing how thosetrucks can take you away from
your problems, too.
Yeah, I mean, you start workingon the truck or you start
driving the truck, seems likeyou leave everything in right
behind you in the rear view.
So that's good, man.
Thank you for doing that andputting it out there trying to
help other young ones like uhyour peers and even older ones
(21:25):
like myself.
So yeah, man, thank you forcoming on the show.
I mean, really uh eye-opener towhat it's like to be a driver
and a restorer, collector and anenthusiast for the trucking
industry.
I really appreciate that, man.
I mean, imagine when people seethat truck, when they see it for
the first time, or when theyalso learn about it, and the
more that they see that there'sa story behind this, pretty
(21:46):
pretty soon you get a goodreaction from people.
I mean, you make people smileafter that's uh that's a great
gift you can give them.
Uh especially when drivers arereal watching the movie.
So, yeah, there's a lot ofpeople out there.
What what has the response beenlike that you've seen from
people out there?
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
Uh mainly on other there's been a pretty good
amount of stuff as invited.
Probably some of my mostfavorite one stuff are people
like from like Australia,Germany for three other stuff.
I mean, that's another one of mygood favorite fans.
It's the foreign fan stuff.
I mean, some of the nicestpeople I've met who are common
fans who do not hear from theeasy stuff.
And one day I hope they'll maketheir countries and stuff.
But um, I've met a lot of greatpeople from Old War and stuff,
(22:22):
and just knowing that theirhistory and stuff just I mean,
it really it really makes itworthwhile at the end of the
day, knowing that we, you know,and we dumped all this countless
money and hours into and stuffjust so that people could
relive, you know, theirchildhood stuff.
I mean, it it it really makes itpersonal.
I mean, because cause not likejust for guys like me and my dad
and stuff, but for people allall over the world and stuff.
(22:44):
And and then they can say, hey,I grew up watching this in movie
theaters or the drive-ins, or mydad took me to sit watch the
truck, or just whatever the caseis.
It it really makes it work a lotat the end of the day.
SPEAKER_01 (22:55):
Yeah, it's the deep roots uh of America right there,
man.
It's huge.
And hopefully we can get somemomentum back for Hollywood to
do some more movies like that,man.
We can love to see some newstuff.
And maybe not just with all theCGI stuff, but more so with the
real, you know, organic stuff.
I think people are really tryingto go back to the way things
used to be because of you know,having something tangible on
(23:17):
your hand versus all the digitalstuff.
I mean, that stuff is getting tobe so massive that the stuff
that's more organic is gettingto be more more real, more
something that people want.
SPEAKER_00 (23:27):
So yeah, we're good about doing that stuff.
Um, but yeah, um, yeah, I meanwe're glad to have a bag and
stuff.
Um when we did have the truckand stuff, and we actually go
okay and stuff, just um, youknow, sometimes you get too busy
lap and just you know, even weneed to kind of like and just to
break in between stuff, just tokind of, you know, just you
know, I mean, yeah, I meanthat's so I mean but at the end
(23:48):
of the day because the stuff isthe hobby and stuff.
I mean, we always try to pick itup, you know, of our family to
want that first and stuff.
But the fact that our family andother stuff supports us that
stuff, I mean, it it reallymeans the world.
As a fact, um, one of my um myaunts and stuff um, she is she
is a big supporter on our hobbyand stuff, and it and it really
means the it it it really meansthe world and stuff, you know,
knowing that you have a lot offriends and some relatives on
(24:11):
your side who support you andstuff.
My step-grandfather did CDLtruck and stuff.
I'm on the phone with him once aweek and stuff, and he and I
always do stuff again stuff.
We're talking stuff, just andjust sharing us talks and it's
making memories and this kind ofstuff.
It just it it's what really, youknow, it's what really makes it
love to see, you know, I knowthe day into the future.
SPEAKER_01 (24:29):
Man, I love hearing that.
Great community, supporting eachother, lifting each other up.
Uh, that's what we need.
That's what we need more of.
You know, we we're not gonna letthat go so easily.
We're gonna try to hold on tothat.
You know, I think everybodyneeds a little bit of that in
their life, or if not, I'll needa lot of it in their life.
So thank you so much for that.
I mean, looking ahead, what doyou guys see?
What do you got planned comingup?
Uh any truck shows or anythinglike that to look forward to in
(24:50):
the future, or I hope maybe theyounger people out here can can
get and get involved and alsomaybe they can do these trucks
for themselves firsthand.
SPEAKER_00 (24:59):
Yeah.
So my first before I uh before Iget in, Steph, I I know that you
had um uh mentioned one thing Idid want to mention up was our
work with American truck on theTV show.
So we were actually gonna robsome uh technical control and
stuff and what shop went andthat before the show and stuff.
So we helped him ride a bunch ofshowing stuff from uh the guy
with the beach in the beartruck, um, I know him and stuff,
uh Wayne um Anderson, who did uhSmoke in the Man episode and
(25:20):
stuff, but he's gonna truck themnow and stuff.
And um he plans, I think,returned with our show and
festival here in May.
And but I mean, but really, I'mputting into it stuff.
If we hadn't sold the rubberduck and uh and the dual truck,
I probably sold the Tom, I wouldnever forgive myself.
Because throwing the truck theBrad and then but selling the
truck to Anthony and stuff, andthen Rob getting connected with
them and stuff, and we bring allthe people together and stuff.
(25:41):
To me, selling the trucks andhaving them not forbidden stuff,
that was really a lot more goodthat came out and stuff.
Because I mean, because then youmeet so many people that you
don't think you're gonna meet,and then they share the same
crazy interest as you and stuff,and you make a lot of new
friends along the way.
Just I mean, that's that's theone for me in truck shows and
selling some of these things andletting them somebody else get
to have to explain that stuffand just meeting the people and
just bringing us all togetherand stuff, old and new phase and
(26:03):
stuff.
I mean, that's what really makesthis hobby worth it at the end
of the day, to me personally.
SPEAKER_01 (26:08):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (26:11):
Everything happens for the reason.
That's all I can say.
SPEAKER_01 (26:14):
There you go.
Yeah, like uh I appreciate youcoming on the show.
I mean, we got Patrick Brunohere on the show for anyone here
to flipstand.
A lot of deep roots in theindustries, uh, a lot of great
things he's been able to do.
Also, with like I said, Americantrucker.
What's it been like working withthem, trying to make some dreams
come true on that side?
What has it been like?
SPEAKER_00 (26:33):
Uh it was it was pretty good work and stuff.
It was a great side gig to help,you know, make some good money
and stuff.
And uh we went on with peoplelike it said, Anthony Fox, Brad
Wycom, Brad and Anthony are hugecobble fans of Queen and stuff.
They're great people.
Buddy Mine has got the beach inthe bear truck or Wayne
Anderson.
Um they're all great people andstuff.
And uh good thing and stuff up,which will actually bring me to
(26:54):
the um next topic um shows.
Um so as I said, I'm sittingover here at the park right now,
Festus Missouri, where we cryparking stuff.
It's where we do the um uhrelaxing the park this year, May
15th to the 16th of this year.
Um uh at Friday, 9 to 4,Saturday, 8 to 6, and uh Friday
evening, I host the convoythrough town and stuff on for
all the truckers that come.
(27:15):
So this year we'll have we planto have the rubber duck, Wayne's
stomach truck, and the screen isbeing bear truck all together
here like we did up in Madison.
And we'll be going toSpringfield, Mr.
this year for the 18th centurynational.
We'll have all their trucksaround stuff.
So um, that's kind of what we'reall hoping for this year's just
to keep the memories of howwe're bull-year rolling along,
getting all of us together andstuff, because you know, you're
(27:35):
only giving one lap of them.
So and we all get some whizzinglove, like I said, and stuff.
So I'm trying to get us all tojust slow down a little bit,
just take some time, you know,relive your past and just chill
out, just hang on, just have agood time.
To me, the bats or trucks areabout and stuff.
And I I think that I think thata lot of us need to look back at
sometimes that you know, youknow, that you know, that
instead of you know worryingabout, you know, whether you're
(27:57):
not gonna make them on stuff,sometimes you just need to just
take it in and just be gratefulwith what you already have and
find ways just to make that, youknow, useful in the meantime
instead of you know stressingover what you can't control for
the next day.
SPEAKER_01 (28:10):
So yeah, and we definitely got a lot of stuff
that we can't control.
Uh we can put our input inthere, but it's not gonna change
a lot of things.
Uh so staying positive, thinkingabout, like you said, staying in
the present.
And uh that's the gift that wealways can enjoy.
I mean, it's uh it's a huge giftto be able to have individuals
in a community like yourself.
And what's one way that peoplecan connect with you?
I know community is important.
(28:31):
What's a good way for people toreach out and be a part of that
community uh like you have foryourself there?
SPEAKER_00 (28:36):
Uh so my my profile name, Facebook Patrick Thomas.
Um I get messages and requestsfrom fans all the time.
You can go on there.
I'm uh my my uh my favorite pagefor the event.
It's uh Drifton Arsenal Convoy.
I've got my phone number, myemail on there.
People want to look into that.
I've got my uh Instagram, minideck 261, TikTok, mini deck 261.
I'm I I'm just always I'm justgonna click stuff.
(28:57):
I'm just trying to bring youknow hope and trying to recreate
some members stuff.
And I'm I'm hoping that Infestusand Sinkfield and one show rain
tour in July and many othershouldn't stuff.
I'm hoping that people will comeout or sit back, take it away,
have a nice, you know, a fewweekends and just have a good
time as well.
SPEAKER_01 (29:15):
I love it.
I love it, man.
Hey, thanks for sharing yourstory.
Uh as always, you know, peopleare hearing about individuals in
the trucking industry.
It's it's huge.
And if we can find a way to keepconnecting with each other and
pursue that history and keep it,you know, preserved and also
keep it where people actuallyunderstand what what this whole
dream is about, keeping that,keeping that going.
(29:36):
So, man, you're doing that, andI appreciate it.
So, yeah, thank you.
Yeah, and your family.
So, and big ups to everybodyover there, man.
That's awesome.
Uh so yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:48):
And yeah, I I hope to stay in touch and uh who
knows, maybe halt it one day,maybe uh I'm hoping that you'll
get the chance over to thechuckle one day and maybe even
join us uh uh at a show someday.
I would um I I would be awesome.
SPEAKER_01 (30:02):
It would be.
Uh that would be a dream cometrue, man.
I appreciate it.
And so for everyone out therelistening, if you enjoy this
episode, learning a little moreabout Patrick Bruno and all the
passion that he has for theindustry, uh be sure to follow
the podcast, share it withsomeone you know uh in the
trucking community or beyond.
And you know, until next time,you know, we will be out here
making shows and episodes likethis Truck and Ray, and uh
(30:22):
that's all for this episode.
That's delivered.
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