Built for a Purpose: Jarret Landry and the 1988 Peterbilt That Became More Than a Dream

CDLLife Contributor Polly Trotter interviewed Jarret Landry for the Stars, Stripes, and White Lines Truck Show at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, in November 2025.

When Jarret Landry heard his name called for a Golden Ticket at the 2025 National Championship in  Atlanta, his first reaction wasn’t swagger. It was disbelief. 

“Me? Oh—me? Okay.” 

He hadn’t built his truck for trophies. He built it with purpose. 

The 1988 Peterbilt 379 was never meant to be a showpiece. It was supposed to pull his boys’ future livestock trailers, haul hay around the house, and serve his family—something practical, something lasting. 

By day, Jarret is a project manager for a Texas-based oil and gas company, where mistakes carry real  consequences. The shop became his reset button—a place where stress gave way to steel, ideas, and  progress. 

When he bought the truck, it wasn’t running. Half the engine sat in the cab. It was a short-hood with a B model Cat, a 15-speed, and 3.90 rears. It needed everything. So, he went frame-off. No shortcuts. 

Finished in mid-2022—at least the first version—it didn’t stay that way long. 

Today, it’s still an ’88 379, but almost nothing else is original. It wears an extended hood and a C15 with  big injectors and turbo, backed by a 13-speed with 3.36 gears, sitting on a 2006 frame. Only the cab and  steering box remain from 1988. 

Jarret unibuilt the cab himself, factory-style, adding a sleeper and stretching—then restretching—the  frame. By his count, the truck has been “done” four times. 

After a 2024 show in Lufkin, he realized the proportions weren’t right. As a daycab, it looked sharp. With  a sleeper, it felt off. So, he added 33 inches. 

“That’s the look I want.” 

Then came Atlanta. 

For the first time, his wife and two boys rode with him from southwest Louisiana to the show. The truck built for them finally carried them. 

And he knew it would evolve again. 

This year, he’s entering as a combo—something he’s never done. When given the choice of division, he  didn’t hesitate. 

“I built this thing. I did everything but paint and interior. Just parking with those 47 trucks is a win.” 

The combo division is elite. He understands the level of detail required. He saw it last year. Still, he chose it. 

Because this truck wasn’t built for accolades. It was built for his boys. 

Jarret grew up around trucking. His father has been an owner-operator since the late ’80s. There’s legacy in this build. The stripe layout mirrors one his dad ran in the early ’90’s, modernizing from yellow  and orange to black and red. The red interior traces back to an oxblood dump truck from his childhood. 

“If it’s red interior, I’m a fan,” he laughs.

He documented the entire build on Instagram—@88_pete_379—from pickup day to the Golden Ticket  moment. But this season, he may stay quieter. Atlanta is the focus. 

He’ll attend a few local shows—Baton Rouge, Gulfport, maybe Nacogdoches, but priorities are shifting.  His oldest son just turned six. Livestock showing starts at seven. 

The truck’s purpose is getting closer. 

If he won his class in Atlanta? 

“I’d probably judge. I’m not going to take something from my kids just to show it again.” That’s perspective. 

He built this truck during COVID, before schedules filled and weekends disappeared. He’d love to build  another someday, maybe his dad’s 1998 truck—but time matters. 

The truck keeps him balanced. In the shop, it’s just him and progress. 

He’s quick to credit the people who helped bring it to life. Floyd Zeringue keeps the aluminum flawless. Brad and Hollie Barrentine with Truckin’ Awesome handled the paint and interior work that set the truck apart. Shawn Wiltfon played a key role in building both engines. Along with trusted friends and parts suppliers, they helped turn Jarret’s vision into reality—while his wife stood steady behind it all. 

Last year, he went to Atlanta for one reason: to drive laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Running the  banking in something he built himself? 

“It was badass.” 

The first lap was tense. The second, confidence. 

Now he returns as an invitee. A contender. 

Winning in 2026? 

“Unbelievable.” 

Not because he doubts the truck—but because of where it started: a non-running ’88 with half an  engine in the cab. A project meant to pull cattle trailers. Shop therapy turned into a showpiece. 

But what matters most isn’t a trophy. 

It’s the argument if the truck leaves without his boys. 

It’s the winter countdown to the next show. 

It’s knowing that one day, polished floors will give way to hay bales and livestock trailers—exactly as  planned. 

Jarret Landry built a truck capable of competing at the highest level. 

More importantly, he built it with purpose. 

And that purpose is almost here.