Working Show Truck Of The Month - Source Movin Out - October 10,2011

Working Show Truck Of The Month Mike Bunning

By Robert Conrad You never know what you might find if you go out exploring in the woods. In fact, you just might stumble upon an unexpected treasure if you're lucky. One such treasure can be found in a small garage that's nestled amongst the trees in the woods of rural Connecticut. This garage is the home of M&E Transportation and one of the premier working show trucks in the country. Company owner Mike Bunning has come a long way since starting out with one truck in 1988 - a 1975 IH 4070B. His fleet has grown thru the years thanks to the outstanding service and timely deliveries that his company provides. M&E Transport grew to a fleet of 15 trucks and 18 trailers in the late 90's. A struggling economy in the past several years has forced Mike to downsize and he now runs a total of 9 trucks. The M&E fleet hauls a wide variety of bulk materials including: sand, stone, contaminated soil, salt, ash, yard waste, and mulch. The pride and joy of the M&E fleet is Mike's viper red 2008 Peterbilt 389 which pulls a polished 2010 MAC frameless dump trailer. At only 45 years old, Mike has been driving for over 27 years. He fondly remembers buying his first brand new Peterbilt in 1996 from Dallas Peterbilt. Mike flew down to Texas, picked his truck out of a lot filled with 100 brand new Petes, and drove it back home to Connecticut. He's driven a number of sharp rides since that day but none compares to his current truck that almost looks like a Ferrari on steroids! Mike's attention to detail shows and the truck's 280" wheelbase is customized from the 22" American Eagle bumper up front to the custom fiberglass light panel that sits behind the oversized Cool Concepts' rear fenders. Other custom features include: a louvered grille, Fibertech front fenders, an oversize bowtie window visor, painted 150 gallon fuel tanks with polished straps& end caps, and custom lower cab and sleeper panels.    The truck looks as good on the inside as it does on the outside thanks to a pair of custom Qualitex seats, a viper red steering wheel& dash trimmed in chrome, and a twin stick 18 speed shifter set-up. If all this wasn't enough to look at, you have to move on to the custom MAC dump trailer. The trailer has been trimmed in matching viper red paint and features a polished sub-frame and draft arms as well as custom lighted panels in front of both axles. There's also custom extended fenders in front of the wheels and a matching red Derochies tarp to keep the cargo safe. Power to haul that cargo comes from a 600 HP Cummins engine that's paired with an 18-speed transmission and a set of 3:36 rears. Mike enjoys showing the truck whenever he can and placed 3rd in the Limited Mileage Combo class at this year's MATS show in Louisville, KY. He also placed 4th among some of the toughest competition ever at this year's Shell Super Rigs show in Kenly, NC. He said that these awards along with his 1999 Best Fleet award at the U.S. Diesel Nationals in Englishtown, NJ, are his most memorable. A special thanks goes out from Mike to Donna for her patience and support while he runs the business 7 days a week. He said she handles the majority of the office duties, which is a huge help and even helps keep the truck's interior spotless for the various shows he attends. Mike also wanted to thank his son Eric for keeping the entire M&E fleet in show condition thanks to his endless hours of polishing and detailing. He said that Eric is working on getting his CDL and will drive for the company when he gets it. There's only one problem-he's already requested to drive dad's red Pete! Mike also wanted to thank his drivers and mechanics for keeping the wheels turning every week and said that they are all greatly appreciated. He summed things up by saying that the company motto is: "Truckin' For Life" and that's what they're planning on doing. We at Movin' Out salute Mike Bunning and the crew at M&E Transport for running such an outstanding fleet-especially this month's pick for Working Show Truck, their incredible viper red Pete and dump trailer combo. You might be lucky enough to see it at a truck show but if not, take a ride thru the woods of Brooklyn, CT, and you might come across the same unexpected treasure that this writer did!

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