Life doesn’t just happen, but it provides the tools for someone to build on. Hustle, dedication, perseverance, and support are what makes a vision a reality. High school sweethearts Dustin (32) and Emily (31) Stieneke, owners of Silver Steer Trucking, Inc. out of Correctionville, IA, had a vision, grabbed life by the horns, and began a journey of building together.
As far back as Dustin remembers, he liked trucks and wanted to be a trucker. He is the third generation of truckers in his family following his grandfather Marvin and his father Bryan. Dustin met his now wife Emily during the summer of 2009 leading into his junior year and into Emily’s sophomore year of high school. Dustin always knew that he wanted to work for himself one day.
One would probably say that Dustin is motivationally driven with regard to learning how to drive, as he basically taught himself, followed by the hours sitting in the passenger seat, riding around with his buddy before he turned 18. In 2011, at the age of 18, Dustin started driving for a farm where he hauled grain during the day and hauled groceries from a Distribution Center at night. After a year, he bought his first truck, started Silver Steer Trucking in November of 2011, and began pulling a livestock trailer owned by Dillon Kunkel. A year later, he went to Hoetling Trucking, hauling livestock under them for almost seven years.
During that time, on September 7, 2019, Dustin and Emily were married. After seven years with Hoetling, they decided to embark on growing their company, adding grain trailers and belly dumps to the mix, while upping their fleet to five trucks, and started running for Andy Goettsch of Goettsch Dispatch. In 2021, Dustin and Emily started upgrading their fleet by ordering brand new trucks. This less maintenance advantage is something that they wish they would’ve started sooner. At the beginning of 2024, the Stieneke’s had an opportunity to put a truck on with McRoberts Trucking, Inc., owned by LeRoy and Amanda McRoberts (October 2018 feature) out of Sergeant Bluff, IA. As time went on, a few more were added.
Also in 2024, Dustin and Emily, after losing their beloved blue heeler dog of 11 years, finally decided to begin looking for another dog. They wanted something that didn’t shed and small enough to be Dustin’s co-pilot when he went trucking. In May, they found just that dog – a tiny Yorkie they named Tammy. They laugh because they think they found the smallest one. Adorable doesn’t begin to describe this little dog with a big, happy personality.
That year (2024) seemed to be a pivotal year with big things happening. Dustin decided it was time to order a truck for himself and set it up exactly how he wanted it. He always liked a long wheelbase because it would look better with a 48-inch sleeper, always liked the paint scheme Chad Blackwell (May 2013 cover) had on his truck and is really a fan of the sublime green color. The result of that truck order is the cool truck you see pictured here.
The truck is a 2024 Peterbilt 389 with a 565-hp Cummins X15 under the hood, 18-speed transmission, 3.36 rears, and a 312-inch wheelbase. You’ll typically find it hooked to a 2023 Great Dane refrigerated trailer. It has a car hauler front axle and sits on factory air ride. He is a sucker for bowtie visors, and his is from Built by Bub, along with the rear visor and light panels. The T-bars and deckplate are from Van Der Zwaag Customs, the mirror brackets are from 12 Ga. Customs, and the fenders are from Shift Products.
Having always been interested in the refrigerated area of the trucking industry, Dustin and Emily were offered an opportunity in 2024 by McRoberts Trucking to buy their company out (the refrigerated trailers and all the work). LeRoy had always been a straight shooter and had a good name for himself, but he was getting out of the trucking aspect because he wanted to maintain his focus on the custom side of things with his company I-29 Custom Truck Parts. So, Dustin and Emily took that opportunity and ran with it.
I had asked Dustin what one of his favorite trucking memories was, but instead he told me about an interesting turn of events that involved the purchase and re-purchase of one white and purple Kenworth W900. The first truck he bought was a 1997 Kenworth W900 that had a bad motor. He put a new Cummins N14 in it, but he still had nothing but problems, so he opted to send it down the road. Then came the hunt to find something that was a little more set up, including a longer wheelbase. At the time, around January 2015, Chad Berry (June 2022 cover) was selling his W900 that had just the look Dustin was looking for when he saw it in the Truck Paper.
After purchasing that truck, Dustin drove it for about a year and a half, then put a driver in it. Unfortunately, the driver got into a wreck, but Chad wanted to buy it back, even though it was wrecked. But it doesn’t end there, because Dustin later bought it back in the same shape he sold it to Chad, and then sent it off to Tyler Van Der Zwaag of VDZ Customs in Hull, IA. This truck ended up getting a ground-up restoration, and then Dustin went on to drive it for about a year. Yes, he sold it for an older W900, which he ended up only having for a short time. To this day, he says it is just one of those trucks that keeps coming back, and he hopes he doesn’t see it for sale again, because he’d probably buy it back.
Emily works as an office manager at Countryside Vet Clinic, but her work doesn’t just stop there, because she also does a lot of the company’s bookwork, payroll, and payables, plus anything else that is needed. Dustin is multi-faceted within the trucking company. Even though he may not drive full-time, he handles plenty while not on the road, including all the dispatching, invoicing, and most of the truck service work. Though he doesn’t have to do a ton of wrenching because of the newer trucks, he has taught himself over the years to do as much of the maintenance and repair on the trucks as he can. Major mechanical work is done at Peterbilt of Sioux City.
In 2020, Dustin and Emily went and purchased land to build a shop on which is the same location the company is at today. That same year, the shop was completed, and it is a beautiful setup. If you saw the inside, you could picture it being someone’s home, complete with a huge bathroom and a large open kitchen area. Their goal was for the space to accommodate family gatherings, driver meetings, and anything in between.
Returning back to the start of their company, I had asked how they came up with the name. They didn’t want a name that was last name based, but something that reflected them and a name that set them apart. With hauling livestock, the name Silver Steer Trucking just made sense. When asked about company growth and improving, Dustin said, “Always pay attention to the people who are better off than you. Learn what they are doing so you can better not only yourself but your company, as well.” He has always looked up to LeRoy because of the nice equipment that he ran.
Today, Dustin and Emily maintain chasing their goals while enjoying life by going camping, being out on their boat, and feeding their love of travel. They appreciate the great group of drivers they have, the equipment they run, and the opportunities they have been lucky enough to encounter. Their company consists of 11 trucks, 15 refrigerated trailers, two hopper bottom trailers, and three owner operators. Most loads are drop and hook, with dropping an empty trailer where their customer is in Sioux City and then hooking to a loaded trailer. A couple drivers, including Dustin, pull the same trailer each run. Their loads take the trucks over-the-road to Texas and California weekly. Dustin mentioned that there are immediate future plans to work on a custom interior for his truck, and he and Emily plan on continuing growing their business.
A shoutout goes to I-29 Custom Truck Parts, which is Dustin’s first stop when he picks up a new truck from the dealership. To Peterbilt of Sioux City for their great work on any major mechanical issues they may have, Railsback Mobile Polishing for keeping their trucks on point, and to Jamie Hanson with his company Horsepower Hill Restorations and Van Der Zwaag Customs for the paint and body work.
On the Saturday we took all the photographs, the wind was ridiculous, but not nearly as bad as the day before, when I was driving to meet Dustin and Emily. I struggled with it in my pickup and couldn’t begin to imagine how much worse it was for the big trucks out on the road with me. The photo locations were wonderful including Little Sioux Park in Correctionville, rolling shots on Hwy 31 near their shop, Lucas Avenue (which is the dirt road with the bridge), and the beautiful barn and grain bins owned by Emily’s sister and brother-in-law, Katie and Branson Jorgensen.
I asked Dustin and Emily how they manage to balance out married life and business, and their answer was simple, “It doesn’t feel like a struggle, it just works. We tackle the problems as they come, and vacations remain vacations.” Their dynamic together is something to both admire and respect. Dustin appreciates her support and unwavering love, her laid-back persona, working together as a team, and for being super level-headed. Emily explained that they just have a great relationship, stating that Dustin always finds a way, he is determined, resilient, hardworking and supportive, and they just have fun together. She also said that he always takes care of her.
Giving me a little insight into what it means for Dustin to have pride in the truck he drives, he said it is very important for him to drive a truck that looks like it doesn’t work. He has always wanted something that stands out, has never had a problem buying someone else’s truck, and gladly gives them the credit for the build, including the truck his driver Nic Baker runs, which was built by Iowa Customs (a sharp white and green 2023 Peterbilt 389 with plenty of custom features). Regarding someone looking to start their own company, Dustin explained, “You do it because it is what you want to do, not because of the money. There are times the money doesn’t make sense, but your passion will see you through. If you are smart and passionate, the money will come.”
Special thanks from Dustin and Emily to each other first and foremost as they have been a constant in their worlds to grow together – in life and business. To LeRoy and Amanda McRoberts for not only being a couple to look up to, but for entrusting them to take over their company, too. From Dustin to Dillon Kunkel, who he can relate to, owning a business, and the challenges it brings.
Thank you to longtime friend Nic Baker for recommending his bosses, Dustin and Emily, for their nice truck to photograph and a story worth telling. Thank you to Dustin and Emily for the opportunity to photograph your truck, the insight into your world, and the honor of telling your story. To see not only a company with very nice trucks, but also a power couple, who are so solid in their marriage that it becomes the very glue to anything they are building together. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe.