This is like R2D2's cute cousin going in for a hug and then . . .

Here Are The 5 Most Badass Military Vehicles You Can Buy Right Now

By SARAH SICARD

All Harleys have a history, but the Harley-Davidson FXDL Dyna Low Rider-Davidson FXDL Dyna Low Rider that will be available to bid on in the upcoming live Leake Collector Car Auction November 18-20 has a past that's colorful and big-hearted. It was owned by Jay Leno, featured on the Tonight Show, and is autographed by the likes of Tom Cruise, Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Cuba Gooding Jr., David Spade, Rodney Dangerfield (who surely got some respect,) Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek and many more.  Leno sold the motorcycle to benefit the Twin Towers fund, established to provide educational and welfare assistance to children who lost a parent in the 9/11 attacks.

IronPlanet is taking online bids for this beautiful ride, and if the opportunity to be its next owner isn't enough to inspire bids, there's this: proceeds will benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, whose mission is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric diseases through research and treatment.

IronPlanet Sells Record $99 Million During September Equipment Auctions 

 IronPlanet announced record-breaking results from its month-long September to remember auction events. Combining both online and on-site auctions, the company sold 9,890 items for more than $99 million in GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume), during 23 auctions in September.

Is it too soon to start talking about shopping for a cause? Not when the shopping is about Humvees, and the cause is Fisher House. But first, IronPlanet wants to introduce you to Eric McElvenny - former U.S. Marine Captain stationed in Afghanistan, devoted husband and father, beloved son, and Ironman athlete.

On December 9, 2011, Eric stepped on an IED in the tiny village of Now Zad in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of his right leg below the knee. He was treated overseas and transported to the Navy Medical Center in San Diego, near his home, for rehabilitation. His parents and a sister flew from Pennsylvania and stayed at a Fisher House during the weeks of his recovery.

Fisher House is a non-profit organization that operates comfort homes where families of military vets can stay free of charge while their loved ones receive treatment. The homes are built at military and VA medical centers across the country and gifted to the government. 

IronPlanet sells record $99 million in equipment during September 

Month sees 23 auctions and nearly 10,000 items sold.

IronPlanet has announced record-breaking results from its month-long September to remember auction events. Combining both online and on-site auctions, the company sold 9,890 items for more than $99 million in GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume), during 23 auctions in September.

Here's the truth. The result of searching for a scary construction site video for your auction preview entertainment yielded bupkus. They ran the gamut from lame to far-fetched to flat-out dopey, and you deserve better than that. If you must see one go here - the interesting part is at 1:04. But don't say we at IronPlanet didn't warn you.

Instead, here's something cool and a little freaky, to keep with the spirit of the season.

That's cooler than a ghost, right?

The featured deals in our November 3 auction are just as impressive! Take a look at this 2014 Komatsu D65PX-17 Crawler Tractor, this 2011 Freightliner Cascadio 125 T/A Conventional with sleeper from Walmart,  and this 2015 Case 321F Wheel loader. Check out all the November 3 items out here:

IronPlanet Sold $99 Million During September Auctions

IronPlanet, a leading online marketplace for selling and buying used equipment and other durable assets, has announced record-breaking results from its month-long September to remember auction events. Combining both online and on-site auctions, the company sold 9,890 items for more than $99 million in GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume), during 23 auctions in the month.

Clad in a cheerleader's top and fashionably torn jeans, Natalie is brandishing a trowel with the same assurance as if she were waving a pom pom. Facing a waist-high wall, she smears a trowelful of mortar atop a brick, then places another brick on that. She pushes the piece down and taps it into place with the butt of the trowel, assiduously aligning it with its fellow bricks. The cement that smooshed out is scraped up and wiped on the side of the new brick. She stands back, admiring the neat angle and smooth finish. "That was fun," she states.

"You've done this before!" says the woman from Bricklayers Local 3. Natalie beams, washes her hands before straightening her green and gold top, then beelines to the display across the way - blue flames shooting from a pipe connected to a computer readout.

Imagine a regular fair except the attendees operate the machines instead of riding them. That's the vibe at Women Can Build, a hands-on trade fair located in Hayward and co-sponsored by Bay Area Apprenticehip Coordinators Association and Oakland-based Tradeswomen Inc. Natalie is one of the 100-plus young women busily gathering information about apprenticeships from organizations like International Union of Operating Engineers, and Operating Engineers Journeymen, to name a couple. Most attendees are students from surrounding high schools, with a sprinkling of adult women investigating new career paths; all ages are welcome. IronPlanet went along to see what the future of skilled labor looks like. Hint: it's wearing mascara.

Self-driving cars have been making headlines for a while now, but the latest news takes autonomous driving to a whole new level. 

In a stunt that portends the future of truck driving, Uber-owned Otto, a self-driving truck startup, delivered 2,000 cases of Budweiser from Fort Collins, CO 120 miles down I-25 to Colorado Springs. The big rig was equipped with an array of cameras, radar and LIDAR sensing technology, and drove itself at an average speed of 55 mph, and was guided using GPS and hyper-accurate digital maps created on a scouting run.

The truck was followed by troopers, Colorado government having approved the early morning trek. A driver rode in the truck during the freeway leg of the trip and took the wheel at Colorado Springs city limits.

Of course, developments of this magnitude have far-reaching implications for the trucking industry. Vanity Fair has a good quick overview, for a more in-depth look at this story check out "It's a 50,000 pound semi. And its driving itself." and "Self-driving semi-truck makes first trip — a 120-mile beer run", both in USA Today.

In the meantime, IronPlanet has an impressive selection of Kenworths, Peterbilts, and Walmart trucks ready for you to drive for your own human self. Take a look at this 2014 Kenworth T800, this 2010 Freightliner Cascadia from Walmart, and this pretty 2009 Volvo VHD.