Dave Vella’s orange-accented Kenworth T909

From the Australian Custom Trucks archive.

For Dave Vella, trucking always has been—and always will be—a way of life. The journey from riding with his father and uncle to operating his own fleet culminated in this Kenworth T909, the pride of Davtrans Services.

Dave’s experience covered tippers, floats and heavy haulage. He completed a mechanical apprenticeship with Cummins and DaimlerChrysler before Damien Grima and the team at Grimtrans helped him gain his licence and put him to work in a K100G.

In 2008 Dave bought his first truck, an S-line powered by a Big Cam 2. An engine failure just two days into ownership led to a full rebuild, but the truck remained part of the story and later served as backup for the T909.

Eighteen months in the making

The T909 was purchased through Gilbert & Roach in Sydney and rolled off the production line on 2 July 2017. From there it went to Custom Air for an additional heating and air-conditioning unit before returning to Horsley Park for an extensive strip-down and custom fit-out.

With the interior removed, St Mary’s Car Audio installed an upgraded Kenwood-based sound system. Hawkesbury Auto & Marine Upholstery retrimmed the seats and carried the orange-and-silver Kenworth emblem through the cab. Parchment-coloured trim, a coffee machine, upright fridge and 24-inch television turned the sleeper into a genuine long-haul workspace.

Blue, orange and unmistakable

The truck was always going to be blue to match Dave’s trailers. The orange striping began as a joke during discussions about doing something different, but the idea stuck. Workhorse Collision Repairs in Eastern Creek applied the orange over the factory blue, producing a colour scheme that refuses to disappear into traffic.

A heavy Bar-up bullbar and four driving lights define the front. LA Trucks at Kemps Creek completed much of the fabrication: old-school steps replaced the factory units, the alloy cab skirts were remade to sit lower and a one-off visor was built from scratch.

The detail continues behind the cab. Custom mudguard bracketry, Hogebuilt guards, a laser-cut light bar, a concealed service panel for the auxiliary air-conditioning system and recessed air and electrical connections keep the layout clean.

Super-single front wheels created a more stable footprint, stainless flares covered the extra width and a Silverback exhaust carried eight-inch pipework from the Y-piece to the stacks.

Dave knew exactly what he wanted and worked with a small group of specialists capable of turning the idea into metal, paint and trim. The result is personal, practical and unmistakably his.