ADOT’s little yellow truck celebrates Route 66 centennial

The Arizona Department of Transportation is taking part in Route 66 centennial celebrations and our 1959 Chevy Apache pickup truck was a crowd favorite at the recent Ash Fork Heritage Day, which also celebrated the centennial.

Long-time readers of ADOT’s blog may remember our previous posts highlighting the history of our beloved historic truck. While it may have carried employees around the Grand Canyon Airport in the past, it had fallen into disrepair by the 1980s. ADOT Equipment Services employees liked the truck so much they decided to spend personal time restoring the vehicle to its former glory.  

It now lives a life of leisure, enjoying retirement from daily work and makes appearances at parades and special events, including at the recent Ash Fork Heritage Day old-fashioned parade. 

Williams Highway Maintenance Supervisor Tiofilo Soto III drove the truck in the parade. Soto collaborated with Prescott Valley Highway Operations Technician Troy Renfroe and retired ADOT employee George Garcia to bring the truck to the event. 

The pickup was a big hit with spectators, who took lots of photos as it drove by. The event was also a celebration of Route 66’s centennial, and ADOT’s appearance at the event showcased our role in maintaining the iconic highway. 

This historic truck will make another appearance in October at the ITS Arizona Annual Conference. This year’s theme is “Empowering Innovation - Then and Now,” with some inspiration coming from Route 66’s centennial, and it’s easy to see how this piece of transportation history will fit right in at the event.  

ADOT is proud of our history and the ways in which we continue to honor it. Much like Route 66, our little yellow truck and the work that went into restoring it is worth celebrating.