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LADY
TRUCKER ENJOYS COMFORTS OF CUMMINS POWERED "CONDOMINIUM" Lady trucker, Deborah Hoffman of Washington, Michigan, travels m
first class style. Her Cummins powered Peterbilt is a "condominium" on wheels
offering the ultimate in deluxe comfort during long hauls. On the road, Debbie enjoys the
luxuries of condo living with her customized all electric LivLab sleeper, complete with
microwave oven, refrigerator, bathroom with shower, small TV and queen size bed. Her
interior color scheme is sophisticated black plush carpet, walls and ceiling of black
diamond tufted vinyl! and rose tapestry curtains and bedspread. Need
Power, Cummins Delivers Debbie
started with a 1974 400 horsepower Cummins, then bought a 1976 350
hp Cummins and now owns a Big Cam III NTC-400 rated 400 hp at 2100
rpm. It has a 13 speed Fuller transmission, 3.90 rear axles and rolls
on 11-24.5 Michelin XM+S4 radials. She says she gets 61/2 miles per
gallon. PeekaBoo's
Pete "Secondly, I like Cummins dependability," Deb declares.
"I've been around other engines and' none can compete with Cummins." Both power and dependability are essentials she needs because she
specializes in over-dimensional loads. Recently, she bought a 1984 Transcraft 45-foot drop
deck trailer. She often hauls overwidth TW 25 and 35 series tractors from Romeo,
Michigan's Ford Tractor Plant for George Bennett Motor Express. It's
a Challenge Thinking back to 1972, Debbie recalls, "I would have bet my
life I wouldn't be a truck driver." At that time, she was married to a trucker and the mother of three
young children. When she decided she wanted a job, she checked into nurses' training and
decided it was too complicated. Knowing how fascinated her husband was with trucking, she called the International
Truck Driving School in Dearborn. The school advisor encouraged her, so she enrolled and
graduated six weeks later. She even paid for her schooling by working the night shift in a
plastics factory. At Deb's first employer, she hauled bulk cement. When her
equipment kept breaking down, she watched mechanics doing repairs until she could do the
work herself. In 1980, her second husband, Don Hoffman, urged Debbie to take a two day
written test at Macomb Community College, thus earning her diesel mechanic certification. The independent lady admits she's a stickler for routine
maintenance for her own engine. "Every thing Cummins says to do in their Operation
and Maintenance Manual, I do. I follow the manual to a 'T." Describing herself as a perfectionist, Debbie says she did her own
inframe overhaul on her 76 Cummins engine. "The whole life of an engine is how clean
you keep it," Deb says. For repairs, she's invested over $2,000 in buying the best tools,
including $ 600 for a 0-600 pound torque wrench. Her routine is greasing the truck every
week or in hot weather every third day. Oil changes are done every 10,000 miles. Cummins
Parts Readily Available On long hauls throughout 48 states, Deb's favorite music is
Cummins "Ride the Road to Freedom" 8-track tape. She's worn out one tape. Ninety percent of her runs are done alone, although she's often
accompanied by two bodyguards. One is a Chihuahua, the other is a salt and pepper Bouvier
named Honey Bear. Hard
Work the Key to Success Dream
Come True Deb attributes the showy, sleek look of the rig to her husband,
Don, a professional truck painter. He added the red and blue striping design that turns
the truck into a showstopper. Although she enjoys life on the road, Deb looks forward to home
coming. Her children Raymond, 34, Vicky, 31, and Christine, 28, welcome her with a clean
house and a vase filled with roses. "If I were home every day," she says,
"I wouldn't get that." Driving her plush Cummins powered rig, Deb admits she feels like a
celebrity. "I would never change from Cummins. When you're happy with what you've
got, why change?" |
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