One-of-a-Kind Truck and Chassis

How “custom” is Darren Yakubowski’s service truck? Let us count the ways.

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It started with a used, tandem-axle 2000 Peterbilt 379.

Darren Yakubowski bought the truck intending to create the perfect service truck. When the rebuilt, repainted, re-bodied truck finally rolled on its first service call, it was missing one of its rear axles and had a new hood, fresh sheet metal on the cab, custom bumpers, and a custom-built aluminum service body—all decked in a paint job that included Hawaiian Orchid highlights.

Having the nickname “Fuzzy” for what seemed like forever, Yakubowski owns Fuzzy Mechanical, Ltd. based in Cowley, Alberta, where he worked his way through four service trucks fine-tuning the eventual design for his dream truck. His goal was to create a truck with a clean, “old school” appearance outfitted with a service body that had, “no wasted space.” And, it had to carry all of his tools, but be under legal weight limits.

“I had it calculated that I could lose the rear axle, add an aluminum service body and be able to load it with everything I wanted and still be legal,” said the 52-year- old. “It ended up 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) heavier than I was shooting for, but it’s still 1,000 kilograms below its legal limit.

”Yakubowski had Horizon Truck & Body in Lethbridge, Alberta remove the front drive axle. Then he had LF Truck Centre in Fort Macleod, Alberta complete- ly refurbish the cab and spray the entire truck with Peterbilt’s factory gray paint accented with “Hawaiian Orchid” on the fenders and the top of the cab and sleeper.

“I had a Kenworth with Hawaiian Orchid paint from the factory, and always liked that color,” he explained. “In sunlight, that Hawaiian Orchid varies from nearly black to bright maroon.

”A full complement of shiny accessories was added, including wheels, air cleaner, visor, steps, splash panels, 6-inch stacks, and a custom-built Bandit Bar front bumper (of Bluffton, Alberta).

“It’s made of 3/8-inch stainless steel, basically a moose bar without the uprights,” Yakubowski stated. “I’ve always run Bandit Bars on my trucks—they’re tough. I just wanted an old-school, clean look on this truck, so I’m taking my chances and not running uprights.

”Although Yakubowski’s previous service bodies were custom-designed, for this truck he chose to utilize Brutus Truck Bodies of Penticton, British Columbia, for the build. Brutus’ Sales Advisor, Trevor Normand, helped Yabukowski design the custom body.

“Darren knew exactly what he wanted, and it only took a little back-and-forth to adjust things so what he wanted and what we could build were the same,” recalled Normand. “We don’t use an assembly line for our service bodies. Each body is built from start to finish by one fabricator. Everybody in the shop knows whose name is on each body when it leaves the shop, and the guys take a lot of pride in the quality of their individual projects. One thing that sets us apart is that we don’t weld our aluminum bodies—we use Huck Bolts, just like Kenworth and Peterbilt use on their chassis. Huck Bolts resist vibration really well.

”The aluminum body is 1,500 pounds lighter than a similar Brutus-brand steel body, and features Brutus Signature Series drawer sets with all the drawer fronts painted Hawaiian Orchid. The body was chan- neled four inches to lower the bottom sill.

“I’m vertically challenged,” explained Fuzzy. “The lower sill height and dropping all of the air once I’m at a job site, helps put things in reach.

”A Model 8000 Cobra crane manufactured by Next Hydraulics handles lifting chores, while a VMAC air compressor hydraulically driven by the truck’s PTO provides compressed air. A diesel-fueled Miller 302 Trailblazer welder/generator sits at the front of the center bay, with its controls and Shell-Ryn cable reels and AlumaReel oxy-acetylene reel accessed from behind the front passenger-side com- partment door. A Wabasco heater located in the center bay is ducted to release warm air underneath his driver-side tool chests so the heated air can rise and warm all his hand tools.

Unique side compartments were part of Yabukowski’s design.

“Over the rear axles I’ve got two horizontal doors on each side,” he explained. “The lower doors have chains that hold them open to create a shelf to work off of, and the upper doors flip up on gas shocks for a sun or rain cover.”

While Yabukowski’s one-of-a-kind truck would draw attention at any truck show, “show and shine” events are definately not on his agenda.

“I didn’t build it to be a pavement princess,” he said. “It goes where I need to go, with no mercy. It’s a nice-looking truck, but it’s a nice-looking work truck.

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2022 issue of Service Truck Magazine.