Contact: David.Giroux@Daimler.com
CLARK, Texas – (January, 2016) – When high winds blew his truck over in New Mexico in 2011, Gary Wiggins decided his replacement vehicle should be a reward.
That’s why he bought a Western Star.
“I always wanted a Western Star. I knew they were built tough and strong,” said the Texas-based owner-operator. “I’d been driving for nearly 30 years and it was time to get the best truck.”
He bought a used 2010 Western Star 4900 EX with a Detroit™ DD15® engine and 18-speed transmission, and has since experienced for himself that Western Star’s reputation is well-deserved. He said his truck, which now has more than 350,000 miles, has plenty of power for the mountains out West and handles well.
“I love my Western Star because it is so well made,” said Wiggins, who hauls a dry van, mostly west of the Mississippi River, and often delivers convention booths and displays. “You go over a bump in another truck and you get squeaks and rattles; go over a bump in this truck and you hear nothing. It’s that tight.”
The 4900 is a powerful, versatile workhorse in the Western Star lineup and can be spec’d for long haul or vocational duty through a variety of options, including transmissions, engines, axles, cab types and suspensions.
Wiggins’ gleaming white rig gets a lot of attention from other truckers because of its enormous custom sleeper. The 144-inch ARI Super Sleeper, which was installed post-factory by a previous owner, is another way he rewarded himself.
“I pretty much live in the truck so I wanted to be comfortable, I wanted a bigger sleeper,” he said.
The sleeper, which gives his truck a 335-inch wheelbase, has a toilet, shower, closet, dinette and 32-inch flatscreen TV. “It’s almost like there’s a small RV on the back of the truck,” Wiggins said.
For the most part, he doesn’t let curious drivers inside, but he will let them look through the window and what they see is enough to make them envious.
Wiggins said the Western Star gives him the maximum in performance and comfort, a reward for a long career behind the wheel.
Western Star Trucks Sales, Inc., headquartered in Fort Mill, S.C., produces tough custom trucks for highway and vocational applications. Western Star is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America LLC. Daimler Truck North America produces and markets Class 5-8 vehicles and is a Daimler company, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer.