February Truck of the Month 2008
Story by Duncan Putman
Photos courtesy of Brandon Waddell 

International Harvester (now Navistar) has been manufacturing durable, no-nonsense trucks since 1907. IH produced many classic cabovers starting in the early 50's with the RD "Cherry Picker," the DCO or Emeryville models and starting in 1965 the long running 4000 series which became the Transtar in 1968.

February's Eye-Catching Truck of the month features a 1980 Transtar II Eagle model 4070B, one of the last to be made in this series.

Brandon Waddell, from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, bought the tractor in 1997 to be used in his auto crushing business. He operated the truck until 2001 when he did some updating on it and installed farm tags for use around his farm. In 2006, Brandon had UHL Truck Sales in Palmyra, Indiana do a total restoration that lasted six months. The original paint scheme of blue and black was redone to red and white which was a rare factory option in 1980. Still sporting farm tags, the Transtar runs about 3,500 miles a year, all in Kentucky. Waddell does occasionally drive it out of state to truck shows.

The International came from the factory with a Cummins 400 Big Cam with a 13 speed transmission, Reyco spring ride suspension and a 3 stage Jake brake. The engine has been rebuilt to put out approximately 650 BHP which Brandon says can easily run with all the big horsepower trucks of today.

The cab's Eagle interior has been restored to original specs along with the addition of a modern radio and CD player.

Brandon has a 1978, 47 foot Fontaine trailer with air-ride suspension, dove tail and ramps and is what the tractor generally pulls.

Waddell's company is called Statewide Auto Crushing, a salvage and scrap metal business. Brandon's hobbies include collecting and restoring old International trucks, especially Transtars. He enjoys trading in old trucks and when he has the time, building scale replicas of semis. Other leisure activities are attending truck shows, especially American Truck Historical Society events, traveling and other truck related pursuits.

---