Perry Jones: 25 Years of Paving His Own Way to Success

Perry Jones isn’t your average dump truck operator, he’s a fleet owner, a YouTube creator with a loyal following and now, a 2025 Star Nation Experience winner. Known for his motto, “Grind ‘n Shine,” – his way of saying work hard if you want to succeed – Jones has spent 25+ years proving that grit, hustle, and the right truck can transform a one-man band into a thriving six-truck fleet.

From One Dump Truck to a Six-Truck Fleet

Jones started out driving a ready-mix truck for a very demanding company in southern Louisiana. After three years, a senior operator took the then 23-year-old Jones aside and encouraged him to move on from what he called a “dark-to-dark” trucking job. It wasn’t long before Jones set his anxieties aside and purchased his own dump truck with aspirations of hauling limestone from Mississippi River barges to stockpile yards. But the reality was most of that work was already contracted out to existing operators and fleets. Upon the advice of a fellow operator, Jones took to the Baton Rouge phone book cold calling every construction aggregate business for work. He was lined up with a haul the very next day.

Building a Career in Construction Trucking

Jones’ story of turning persistence into progress continued for more than a decade, enabling him to expand his business. Fast forward to the early 2020s, Jones was running with a mixed fleet of trucks from various brands but was receiving complaints from operators about rough rides that were taking a toll on their bodies. That all changed in November 2022, when a friend introduced him to a Western Star. That’s when Jones was drawn to the 49X truck powered by the DD13 engine and equipped with a quad axle, giving him the ability to haul up to 75,000 pounds. “When I first drove the Western Star, I thought to myself… it’s quiet in here and the cab room is just tremendous, I like that,” Jones recalls. Within months, he doubled down, adding two more 49X dump trucks to his operation.

Power and Comfort for Hauling Construction Loads

Most recently, Jones and his fleet have been hauling asphalt for highway construction on Interstate 55. Jones sums up his passion for the business, saying, “I get excited to see something start out as nothing and then become something… and eventually become something you ride on. Then, I can say ‘hey, I helped build that.’ That just lights a fire within me.”
 
Running a 24/7 business, Jones depends on trucks that ensure operator comfort. “I’ve got drivers working shifts across the state line. Many times, they’re not coming home between shifts, and may need to sleep in the truck, so the cab has to be comfortable. No way you’re doing that in other truck brands,” Jones says. The 49X quickly became the clear crew favorite because of its quiet, roomy cab. Jones notes that when he sends out a dispatch, drivers want to know which truck they’re driving. In other words, do they get a Western Star?

Dependability That Keeps Construction Fleets Moving

When asked about the durability of his trio of 49Xs, Jones points to the around-the-clock interstate work going on in Mississippi for the past year. He says, “I would shuttle my day shift and night shift guys back and forth over the state line and kept those trucks on the job for three straight days. You talk about coming through!” The dependability, paired with a short turning radius that has saved him from costly “mailbox casualties” on tight neighborhood jobs, is one more way his 49Xs stand apart from the rest. Long story short, “grind ‘n shine” people just love “grind ’n shine” Western Star trucks. Both are hardworking and outperform all others.

Educating the Next Generation of Dump Truckers

Over the past five years, Jones has spent a portion of his free time lending helpful advice on his YouTube channel, The Country CEO. His goal is to educate aspiring dump truckers on how to properly acquire a truck and get started in business – the kind of guidance he didn’t have when he began. Jones has been a big advocate of Western Star, featuring his 49X dump trucks in his videos. Jones says, “When there’s something you love and it’s working good for you, you want to share that with everyone.”

How Innovation and Safety Set Western Star Dump Trucks Apart

Reflecting on his 2025 Star Nation Experience trip, Jones enjoyed the fellowship with others in the business and hearing the different stories from diverse drivers and small fleet owners. Getting a “behind-the-curtain” peek into the workings of Western Star was particularly reinforcing for this Star Nation loyalist.
 
“Just seeing the efforts being put forth behind the scenes to ensure a quality product is important to me because my livelihood depends on that,” Jones comments. “Being able to meet face-to-face and eye-to-eye with the people who are engaged with the Western Star product… the relationship really comes to life.”

Jones could also appreciate meeting the trucks up close and personal. During the Star Nation Experience driver challenge held at the Madras test grounds, Jones was most impressed by the 49X Detroit Assurance safety technology, including the Active Side Guard Assist and Active Brake Assist. “What I learned most about Western Star is the value of safety to their company. It made me feel good and confident about the product,” he adds. “Anything that can help my guys avoid accidents, lower my insurance costs, and help my drivers keep good driving records means a lot to me.” On his YouTube channel, Jones brings up the adage “comfortable is the enemy of greatness” when speaking about other truck brands which have become slow on this kind of innovation.

Why Western Star Trucks and Perry Jones Are a Perfect Match

Jones’ Star Nation Experience reinforced what he already believed: Western Star is a brand built by people who care about safety, innovation, and the operators who put their trucks to the test. For Jones, that alignment is everything. “With Western Star, there’s this fire I see. It’s a brand that never stops working hard to prove itself.” Never back down trucks. Never back down people. No wonder Western Star and Perry Jones go so well together.