Owner-operator Tony Gonzalez bought the 2015 Peterbilt 389 showcased in the video up top a couple of years ago, marking what was his maiden trucking voyage behind the wheel as an owner-operator. It was far from his first time in a truck, though.
Owner-operator Tony Gonzalez, currently leased to his father's long-running San Miguel Transportation business
Gonzalez leased the 389 to San Miguel and expressly asked his father to treat him just as he would any other owner-operator at the company. Talk to Gonzalez now and you'll feel a clear sense that he's loving his time over-the-road. He comes at his story with exuberance born out of a career decision well-made, no doubt, and, little by little, has extended that to the truck with plenty of custom touches, from United Pacific black-out-style headlights and painted tanks to custom air-dump-capable suspension all the way around and plenty of bright upgrades and running lights.
The rig is powered by a 495-hp Cummins engine, with 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque, a 13-speed, 3:25 rears and a 265-inch wheelbase, functional for tight delivery docks where Gonzalez delivers boxed wine in a reefer trailer.
The average-length wheelbase, aesthetically, Gonzalez noted, appears more
I caught up with the owner-operator on the second day of the A.J. Soza Memorial Truck Show a couple weeks ago in Merced, California. Gonzalez hauls a variety of freight in reefer trailers, with dedicated lanes in some cases, for San Miguel's customers. The business extends back to his father's produce-hauling days from a prior home base of Salinas, California.
