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lot of folks might l o o k at Je r r y Kissinger standing next to his superbly dressed 1991 Mack tractor and think he’s just a show truck guy, out looking for prize money and maybe a trophy or two—or four. They’d hear him tell of the 12 years and $350,000 he spent retooling and decking out his Mack and 53-ft. refrigerated trailer in high style and might think all he’s doing is pouring good, hard-earned cash down the drain. Kissinger would be the first to tell you that creating a custom truck like his isn’t cheap or easy. But he’ll also tell you that, if done right, a working show truck and trailer like his can be a real asset in the trucking business. “About 90% of what we haul is cheese from Schreiber Foods,” explains Kissinger, a third-generation truc tr ucke cker k and d owner off Independent d d Operat Op ator orr IInc nc. in Cottage Grove, WI. Thee co Th c mp m an anyy ru runs ns a ssmall fleet of s ve se ven n truc u ks wit ith h 144 o own wner-opera rat rss llea to ease sed to the compa pany n . “Sometim ti mess th t ey nee eed d someth hingg sp pec ecia ial.l. IIff they th ey aare r shippin ingg so some me new e sam ampl am ples pl so ome mewh wher wh e e, or seerv rvin ingg a new w cu cussto ome mer, r, the hey’ y ll y’ l cal alll me to hand dle that load lo ad kno nowi wing ng ttha h t my ha m rig ig w will ma m kee a big im mpr p es essi sion on w whe hen he n I pu pull ll up to t the dock.” do It’s a vie iew sharred e b byy Maatt t he hew w Brian Hitchc hcock, k a thi hird rd-g -gen neerrat atio ion n trucker himssel e f an nd ow owner off MBH T ucking outt of We Tr W bb bberville, MI. (Justt in case yo y u mi m sssed it … th t e ‘MBH’ reprres e entss his is initiial als. s.)) The compan ny op per e at ates abo bout ut 11 trucks haul ulingg just about ut everything —freight, aggreegate, even hazmat. He and d his sons are dedicated “show ow truckers,” spending a lo ot of time and effort tricking out u their rigs (mostly Peterbiiltts) in high style. “Now, overki k ll is ov o er erki killl when it comes to c us usto om trucks like ou o rs—wee un unde derr-
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Eagles adorn the headlights and wheel fenders on Marcel Pontbriand Pontbriand’ss Peterbilt 379 tractor. “What you see today is the result of the respect and appreciation I give to my profession,” he says. stand that,” Hitchcock says. “But when you look at our trucks, you know we take pride in what we do for a living. We do get benefits on the business side from these trucks— people know who we are. For us, it’s a very large business card.” Hitchcock’s eldest son Rick spent six mo ont nths h turning his 2005 Peterbilt Model 379—du dubb bbed ed ‘Th The Slammed d Pete Pe te’—into an instant modern-d day classic. Spo p rt rtin ingg a sh s ar a p wh w ittee anddred, re d, two-tone pain int desi sign, th thee 29 2922-
in. wheelbase of Rick’s rig hugs the ground, with the big wheel covers on the rear tires making his piece of rolling stock look more like a hot rod straight out of a ZZ Top music video. Yet again, it’s a hobby that isn’t cheap. In 2004 a motorist hit Rick’s truck head on, in broad daylight, and smashed his hood and front axle. It cost about $18,000 to reestor oree hi his riig backk to its orig igin inall greatness. Yet it remains an ho oneest w wor orki king ng truc tr uck, k, wit ith h hy hydr drau auli licc cylinders in-
Jerry Kiissinger of o Cottage Grove, WI, spent 12 years and $350,000 turning his 1991 Mack into this beauty of a truck.
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