Truckers are like motorcycle riders in the way that they invariably customize their rides. It’s probably just as challenging to find a bone stock tractor as it is an unembellished Fat Boy. When you’re plying the roads as much as the big rigs do, why not have some fun and stand apart from the rest of the crowd and their mudflaps decorated with conformist chrome silhouettes of questionable taste. International’s new LoneStar truck will be factory trickable with a new line of Navistar accessories called DoubleSix Customs. While the Autoblog Garage isn’t quite big enough to hold an 18-wheeler, we did dedicate the better part of an hour to International’s website designing the perfect vehicle for hauling our tricked out fleet of Zastavas.

With International’s online configurator, you can start with a basic truck and add a splash of color, a dollop of flames, lots of chrome, and nearly as many lights as Vegas. The DoubleSix name takes its inspiration from the mother road, Route 66, which International is hoping still resonates with those who keep our economy rolling. Our only problem? Lack of the proper license. Try it yourself, you can even upload logos and graphics to design your perfect LoneStar. Press release after the jump.

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In the era of the greener taxicab, the extremely capable Ford Crown Victoria is now gauche. Ford knows this, and later this morning in the Jacob Javits Center, it will unveil a new taxi concept that’s about as different from the Vic as you can get. The Ford Transit Connect Taxi that was spied last week combines spaciousness and utility with improved fuel economy and reduced emissions thanks to the 2.0-liter four it packs underhood (no hybrid, though, which would be really big in cities like New York). The yellow exterior is offset with matte grey accents, including the combo fascia/bumpers fore and aft

Passengers ride in an airy cabin that feels even more so in the concept thanks to a vista roof that looks nice but would probably never make the cut on a real fleet vehicle. Ford and Microsoft’s Work Solutions package powers the system feeding content to the 13-inch display facing the backseat passengers. In addition to acting as the meter and electronic payment interface, the display also supplies “infotainment” info, live traffic and weather, and GPS functionality. Folks who still pay their fares with wallet cabbage can send their greenbacks forward through the concept’s fancy little orb in the rear partition (Ford calls it “Sputnik”).
Passengers ride in an airy cabin that feels even more so in the concept thanks to a vista roof that looks nice but would probably never make the cut on a real fleet vehicle. Ford and Microsoft’s Work Solutions package powers the system feeding content to the 13-inch display facing the backseat passengers. In addition to acting as the meter and electronic payment interface, the display also supplies “infotainment” info, live traffic and weather, and GPS functionality. Folks who still pay their fares with wallet cabbage can send their greenbacks forward through the concept’s fancy little orb in the rear partition (Ford calls it “Sputnik”).

As good as the Crown Victoria taxi is, its days are numbered as cities move to green up their taxi fleets. If the Transit Connect can handle the amount of punishment the Vic regularly endures, it’s a pretty compelling package. Not only is it more roomy and efficient than the Vic, it could probably be made readily accessible for disabled riders, too. Ford is intent on showing a variety of uses for its new Euro-sourced work van, and this seems like a good one.

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