10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

GETTIN’ READY TO RUMBLE
BUILDERS PREPARE TO FACE-OFF IN LOUISVILLE

It all started out as some harmless “trash talk” between Bryan Martin of 4-State Trucks and Rod Pickett of Pickett Custom Trucks. The two, who have very similar tastes in trucks, met at the truck show in Las Vegas last year and hit it off. They thought it would be cool if they went head-to-head in a truck build-off, and from there, the idea just grew.

This year, in addition to the regular truck beauty contest at the show in Louisville, Kentucky, there will be six builders competing in the 1st Annual Big-Rig Build-Off. Due to the renewed interest in custom fabrication and paint, the stage is set for this thing to get bigger and better every year. We thought we’d introduce you to all of the builders and give you a heads-up as to what to maybe expect from them.

As mentioned, Bryan Martin and da Boyz from 4-State Trucks in Joplin, Missouri are going full-force on their illusive “Project X” truck. Word on the street says that Bryan’s building a cabover, but when asked about it he would not confirm nor deny the rumor. With about 30 days to go, Bryan hopes to complete the job early, but he knows how these things go, saying, “No matter how early you start a project like this, the last two weeks will always be crazy.” This rig, whatever it is, will no doubt be a head-turner. For some fun truck stuff, visit one of Bryan’s websites at www.chromeshopmafia.com.

Over here on the West Coast (the Pacific Northwest Coast to be exact), Rod Pickett and his crew are working hard to finish their entry. Pickett Custom Trucks, located in Marysville, Washington, specializes in building custom rigs. Rod wouldn’t say much about their project but did say that although it will be a unique ride, it will still have that signature “Pickett” look. To see what the Pickett boys can do, check out their website at www.pickettcustomtrucks.com.

The next entrant is Elizabeth Truck Center (ETC) of New Jersey. In conjunction with their sister company, Car Craft Truck Works in New York, ETC is building what they call “The Beast.” Both Anthony Pesce and Andrew Feltenstein are having a lot of fun with his wild project, promising that their rig will be long, low and loud. “For all those who think they’re gonna ‘bring it’ to Kentucky - watch out! The Beast is on the prowl and it’s gonna swallow you up, chew you to bits, spit you out, and send you running back home crying to Mama,” said Andrew. These guys are definitely getting into the spirit of this thing. Check them out online at either www.elizabethtruckcenter.com or www.carcrafttruckworks.com.

Heading to the “Great White North” you’ll find the next build-off entrant - Quality Custom out of Brampton, Ontario (Canada). Builder Bruce Montgomery is excited to be a part of this event. This will be the first time he’s ever even been to the Louisville show, and he is pumped and ready to go. Going for extreme fabrication all the way, Bruce would only divulge that they were starting out with a Peterbilt and that the project would take them “out of the box.” To learn more about Quality, visit their website at www.qualitycustom.ca.

Coming in as an underdog is Philip Langevin of Ottowa, Ontario (also Canada). Philip, who owns a medium-sized trucking outfit, just recently started a new custom truck building company called Valley Custom Trucks. His entry will be the first official project completed by the new company, and he wants to show everyone what he’s capable of doing. His truck will be DOT-compliant, as he plans to run it after the show.

The last (but not least) builder is K & L Chrome Shop of Florence, South Carolina. Most have seen their spectacular custom KW at the shows, and most would agree that they will be hard to beat. We tried to get in contact with Kelvin, but he didn’t return our calls, so we have no idea what he’s up to. To find out more about K & L or to see pictures of their cool KW, check out www.kandlchromeshop.com.

Well, there you have it. The stage is now set for the 1st Annual Big-Rig Build-Off. All of the voting will be done by the people at the show. Each of the six trucks will have a magnetic strip card reader in front of it. To vote for your favorite, you simply swipe your show badge in the appropriate machine.

If you swipe it more than once, your vote will be cancelled. The winner will be announced on Saturday afternoon outside by the trucks - not at the formal awards ceremony held inside. For info about the Mid-America Trucking Show on March 31-April 2, be sure to visit www.truckingshow.com. From the looks of things, this competition won’t be for the weak-hearted, but it sure will be fun. We can’t wait to see what this creative bunch thinks up!