Danny Malak’s 2003 Power Stroke (member)

One of the best things about the diesel industry is it is made up of folks from every walk of life. With that said, like all groups there are a variety of stereotypes out there that people associate with diesels. The number one stereotype is that all diesels are dirty, environment polluters that do nothing but “roll coal” when on or off the road. Well, as we in the diesel industry know that is just simply not the case and now there is a new group that is taking to the streets, the web, etc. to spread the clean diesel message.

The mission is simple…set a good example and help educate all the new diesel truck owners on the facts behind diesels being clean. The group has been picking up speed quite rapidly with their Facebook page being called Clean Diesel Performance: Reversing the trend and now having over 11,000 members. But, who is behind this group of clean diesel crusaders? Well, we asked Josiah Shalala, webmaster for all the details and how he got into the clean diesel scene.

DA: Tell me about how you got into the clean diesel scene?

Josiah: “I got into diesels from working construction in high school. All the contractors owned them and I saw how well they preformed in tough working conditions.I bought my first diesel a couple years later, 1999 Ford F-350 crew cab with the 6 speed manual. I spent hours on diesel forums researching the best mods and upgrades for it and I think the knowledgeable older members really helped me understand the importance of running clean.I got into buying and selling cars during that time and realized diesel trucks are some of the hottest vehicles on the market. Since then I have owned seven 7.3s, two Ford 6.0s, a 01 24v and a currently have a 12v swapped Ford F-250. I’ve worked on many more and know what works and what doesn’t. While buying and selling I saw that the diesel trucks I sold always attracted the younger guys. I live in Ohio and have sold to guys in Maryland, California and Arkansas. I decided to sell each truck with either stock tuning or very clean tunes as I had many people asking me if my trucks “rolled coal.” I figure if I am going to be putting more diesel trucks out there in the market I want to set a good example and help educate all the new diesel truck owners (nearly every diesel truck I sell is to a first time diesel truck owner).”

Brandon Payton’s Duramax (member)

Matt Giardina’s Cummins (member)

DA: Why start a running clean diesel education group?

Josiah: “I started the Clean Diesel idea after seeing the numerous news reports on the negative aspects of diesel trucks and rolling coal. I do not want the public to perceive all diesel owners as “coal rollers.” That hurts our reputation and the entire diesel truck community. After being involved in diesel trucks you start to understand the sense of community between diesel truck owners. One example is that we have a Ford Power Stroke Facebook group with over 32,000 members who believe in this movement. We, also, regularly sponsor events, charities,and donations for families in need.”

Dalton James’ Duramax (member)

DA: Knowing that no man is an island, do you have a group of people helping you with this initiative?

Josiah: “Behind the scenes I have great group of friends that are supporting this Clean Diesel idea and the future of this page, brand, and idea. They are all administrators on the Clean Diesel performance page and post regularly.”

DA: So, who are these friends behind the scenes?

Josiah: “Let me list them out one by one for you.

Bryan Belopotosky: Owner of Compression Ignition Technologies out of New Philadelphia, Ohio. Bryan plays a big part in Clean diesel and is currently building his Ford 6.0 powerstroke. His previous build was a clean 600hp truck, but he is currently shooting to put down the highest numbers on a fuel only 6.0 truck. Stay tuned for his build.

Derek Kolb’s Power Stroke (member)

Derek Rose’s Cummins (member)

Christine Ruggles: Christine works for BulletProofDiesel out of Arizona. She is a huge supporter of clean diesel and diesel performance along with her boyfriend who pulls competitively in truck pulls. She is known for her Ford 6.0 Powerstroke with pink accents and has been featured in several magazines. She is known by many as, “Pinky.”

Jason Martinez’s Duramax (member)

Mike Wood: Mike is a mechanical engineer out of NY. He has been in the diesel scene for years and is well known in the 6.0 Power Stroke and VW TDI worlds. He is, also, in the middle of building his project 6.0 and is an admin on many diesel forums.

Don Swaringim: Don is owner of Demonic Diesel Performance out of Missouri. He is well known in the 6.7 Ford Power Stroke tuning game and is regularly turning potential customers away who are looking for smoke tunes. Don is also a huge advocate for diesel performance as his 6.7 Power Stroke serves as a test truck for all his tuning and product launches.

As you can see it’s quite a group of diesel experts from around the country.”

Looking to get more information or get involved yourself. Then be sure to check out their Facebook page.