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(Late 1990s / Early 2000s)
Early Hands-On Operator Experience
At age 16, Jonathan operated heavy equipment and grapple trucks on storm recovery and disaster relief jobs across the country. Running this equipment taught him early on how critical real-world truck design and durability are for the operator.
(Early 2000s)
The First Self-Taught Grapple Truck
Driven to improve poor truck design, Jonathan bought welding and paint equipment, taught himself fabrication, and built his first grapple truck. He finished it at 3:00 AM, drove it to an ice storm job in North Carolina, and immediately received purchase requests from other contractors.
(Early 2000s)
Rebuilding the First Vacuum Truck
Frustrated by the poor layout and quality of a commercially built vacuum truck during the East Texas oil boom, Jonathan rebuilt a used unit from the chassis up. It sold immediately to an oilfield company, proving the demand for operator-designed trucks.
2013
Stephenson Specialty Trucks Founded
Around age 20 or 21, Jonathan bought two Kenworth T800 chassis in Washington State, sourced components from Chandler Equipment, and hand-built both trucks in a 40x60-foot shop in East Texas—marking the official birth of Stephenson Specialty Trucks LLC.
(c. 2014–2020s)
Growth & Facility Purchase in Parsons, Kansas
Jonathan and his wife Chelsey relocated to Parsons, Kansas, starting in a small leased section of a fabrication shop where he turned out 12 to 15 custom trucks a year. Every truck sold before it was finished, allowing him to eventually buy the entire building.
2026
Stephenson Specialty Trucks Acquired By Chris & Morgan Chandler
After 14 years of building specialized vacuum, grapple, and hooklift trucks, SSTs joined forces with Chris & Morgan Chandler to form Arkson Truck Co.—bringing the journey full circle from the days when Jonathan bought Chandler Vac components for his very first builds.