Blue stripe across a mourning version of the American flag honors fallen police officers. This one is for Officer Jaimie Cox of the Rockford, Ill., P.D. Photo: Meiborg Inc.

Blue stripe across a mourning version of the American flag honors fallen police officers. This one is for Officer Jaimie Cox of the Rockford, Ill., P.D. Photo: Meiborg Inc.

A "Thin Blue Line" flag – the black, white and blue Stars and Stripes tribute to police officers who have died protecting us – is flying across the country, courtesy of Meiborg Inc., a trucking and logistics company headquartered in Rockford, Illinois.

The flag, emblazoned on a Wabash National DuraPlate van, pays homage to Jaimie Cox, a Rockford officer who was killed last Nov. 4 during a traffic stop. Before joining the city’s police force, Cox was a shop foreman at Meiborg's home base, said Zach Meiborg, the company's president.

Cox’s name and the date of his EOW – "end of watch" – appear next to the flag on a broad black background. The van is used for regular hauls. The company’s generous gesture got the attention of a local TV news outlet that did a story on it.

In the photo, the trailer is hitched to a vintage Peterbilt cabover which I guessed to be a Model 362. I asked Zach about it. 

“Hey Tom, you were spot on,” he said in an email. “She is a 1983 Pete 362.  We're a family owned company with 105 power units and 300 trailers. That's my Dad's (the owner's) fun truck.  A friend of his found that truck for sale about five years ago. A widow had it in a barn for the past 10 or so years and was just looking to get rid of it. 

“Originally it came with a Cummins Big Cam 400 and our shop pulled the Cummins out of it and replaced it with a 2002 [Cat] C-15 -- out of the truck that I trained on,” he continued. “Dad is still involved in the company and uses the truck under a load about once per month. He just loves driving.”

Zach added that he had a craftsman build a model of the old Pete, and presented it to his dad on his 60th birthday last year. Officer Jaimie Cox is probably admiring it, and the trailer, from above.

"On a side note, I had a guy from Texas build Dad a custom truck model to match the truck last year for his birthday," said Zach Meiborg, who sent this photo. "Check out the detail this guy did..."

"On a side note, I had a guy from Texas build Dad a custom truck model to match the truck last year for his birthday," said Zach Meiborg, who sent this photo. "Check out the detail this guy did..."

About the author
Tom Berg

Tom Berg

Former Senior Contributing Editor

Journalist since 1965, truck writer and editor since 1978.

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