One of the coolest aspects of being a part of DieselArmy.com is that I get to travel and meet a lot of great people and learn about their trucks. For instance, while at the 2024 Ultimate Callout Challenge, I got to meet Rodney Parks. Rodney is like many truck enthusiasts in that he is never happy when behind the wheel of a small car. No sir, he likes driving a truck — and in case you haven’t realized it, a really big truck. Check out his 1972 International Loadstar.

“I found it on an online marketplace,” Rodney says. “It was for sale in Louisiana, and it’s funny, because it started life in Lafayette, Indiana as a fire truck, went to Georgia, eventually ended up in Louisiana, and I brought it back to Indiana.”

The 6.7-liter Cummins features mostly stock internals but benefits from an upgraded turbo and custom tuning.

Rodney told me the truck was in really great shape when he bought it. The cab was really good and someone had put it on an ‘05 Dodge two-wheel-drive chassis. “When I got it, I made it four-wheel-drive and kept the 6.7-liter Cummins,” Rodney states. Internally, we left the engine the way it was. At 800 horses, the internals are fine. However, it’s got a bigger turbo and we’ve done tuning and dressed it all up. We did have to build a custom radiator and intercooler to fit because it is tight up front.”

Behind the Cummins is a 48RE transmission built by Maverick Diesel. “It’s got a Firepunk Anteater to control it.”

Rodney did add a few items to the suspension to make the truck even cooler. “We added an AccuAir suspension system on it to manage it going up and down,” Rodney says. It has 13 inches of travel, and there are two management systems because it’s got 1/2-inch lines. We included a Far From Stock fast bump and dump system so it’ll go up and down really quick.”

The interior of this International Loadstar is nothing short of astounding. Seating relies on 2020 Ram seats that were rewrapped with KatzKin leather. The Flaming River steering column fits perfectly behind the widescreen dash and Vintage Air keeps things cool.

Rodney told me that the truck is black but, in the sunlight, I noticed you can see some green metal flake making its presence known.

Do you want to see more Reader’s Rigs? This column is dedicated to showcasing what you guys and girls are driving and I need your help to give the Reader’s Rigs the props they deserve. If you would like to share yours, I want to hear about it — I can never get enough. If you want to see your truck featured as a Reader’s Rig, send a few pictures of your truck showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information about it and I’ll make you internet famous. You can send your submissions to dieselarmy@powerautomedia.com.