In an industry where custom parts and accessories choices are plentiful, few are available that started out as a need, flourishing over time as a sought-after truck accessory, because of their sheer simplicity and ingenuity. This is the story of Lifetime Nut Covers out of Britt, IA, where a father’s idea took hold and is continuing at the hands of his son, with employees that are like family, to bring American made products to a market that literally started a parts revolution.
This company started after founder Dan Schleuger got a flat tire 35 years ago and had to torch off every nut cover that was rusted on. He had an idea for making a plastic nut cover and brought this idea to a friend who had a plastic injection molding machine. Producing one cover at a time out of colored plastic, this idea started taking shape in the form of a business. Dan’s partnership ended when he bought his friend out and moved the operation to the farm where he lived (where operations are located today) into a 20×20 area.
Around 1990, Dan started going to the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY. Each year, he would fill his pockets with nut covers and then go around talking about them to people and handing them out as samples, which definitely sparked people’s interest. Dan’s girlfriend Julie came aboard with the company around 1993 to help and, as time went on, Dan’s son JR (Dan, Jr.) and his daughter Danielle also began working in the shop when time allowed. This was and is truly a legit family operation.
In the beginning, they were just making colored plastic lug nut covers, as they didn’t know how to make chrome plated ones, but they eventually figured that out. The chrome plating actually started in their oven in the house. They would heat the plastic on baking sheets to get the mixture correct. After high school, JR went to school to become a CNC machinist while Danielle went to school for graphic design. During school, they could still be found working with Dan and Julie, taking shifts running the machines. The chrome plating at home eventually shifted to hauling the products to Phillips Plating Corporation in Phillips, WI in large batches.
Around 2007, JR and his sister Danielle had started preparations for buying out their father to take ownership of the company, but Danielle decided to take a different path, so the process was restarted, with just JR buying out his father. After a 15-year buyout plan, JR became the official owner of Lifetime Nut Covers in 2023. I asked JR about patents, and he explained that they don’t have any. Their lawyers said it wasn’t worth it and that it would just be a waste of money trying to protect their product. JR plainly stated, “Anyone can copy our products, but no one can compete.”
Lifetime Nut Covers has become a common name at charity truck shows as the team is more than happy to donate for a good cause. The company creates plenty of one-off custom pieces, including truck show trophies, but their main products, that include their nut covers, hub and axle covers, light bezels, billet oil cap covers, gauge covers, billet step plates, window trim, various interior accessories, billet foot pedals and so much more, can be found at chrome shops across the country, and in other countries, as well.
Today, JR (who was also our our November 2010 cover trucker), his wife Chelcee (married since June 2014), and their daughters, Gracee (9), Caliee (7) and Mayzee (4), live at the farm where the Lifetime Nut Covers operation is located. JR and his family used to live on the original family farm and Dan and Julie lived where Lifetime is located, but it made sense for both families to swap places about nine years ago. The facility currently operates in seven buildings.
Future plans for Lifetime Nut Covers include staying with the times, everyday changes, entertaining new ideas, and adding new machines. The new machines and ideas will open up new doors and the capability of not only doing more, but offering more, as well. JR’s sister Danielle has since returned to working at the company, utilizing her experience in graphic design.
As most know, JR and Dan are known for putting together some pretty amazing Kenworth trucks that have been showcased at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in their booth, and at other shows, throughout the year, when they have a new build. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph many of them, whether it was at a show, for a calendar, or just because.
The white 1980 W900A has been around plenty and is definitely a cool truck to see. Painted in Mercedes white with IROC Camaro blue and Gunmetal grey stripes, this bad boy also has a KTA600 under the hood. The build was completed in 2016, and it made its first appearance that year in Louisville. The yellow and brown 1960 CJ923 narrow nose is powered by a Big Cam IV and was completed in 2018. It appeared for the first time in March at MATS and then came out again the following month at the 75 Chrome Shop truck show in Florida, where Chris Fiffie from Big Rig Videos and I had the opportunity to photograph it for the chrome shop’s calendar.
Not to discredit the others, but in 2024, they brought out a showstopper that I heard so many people talking about and posting pictures of – a 1984 Kenworth W900B with a cool old school paint scheme in white with orange, grey and gold stripes. 2025 on the other hand brought something just as cool but even more unique. With how different this truck was, JR said he was unsure how it would be received. The white truck with dark red stripes is a 1958 Kenworth CJ923 they had lost interest in that was parked in the back of their shop. What you saw in their booth at MATS (2025) was this truck, fitted with a big block Chevy 632, stuffed under the butterfly hood. This cool swap came to be because JR and Dan are big into drag racing and thought it would be cool to build a race car hauler truck.
What started out as a joke has turned into an annual gathering called the No Coast Large Cars Truck Show. The talk was always that cool trucks only came from the east coast and west coast, and even Facebook pages were started, so their idea (or joke) was to bring notice to the cool trucks that called the Midwest home. This began as the No Coast Large Cars “club” that increased in popularity. Initially, the “show” was three trucks parked on a Sunday during an annual car show that happened during the yearly town celebration in Britt. This show kept growing every year until they took over the car show with 60 trucks!
The show was originally held on the second weekend of August, but with its continued growth, and then an invite to join forces with the Draft Horse Show on Labor Day Weekend, the show moved to the Hancock County Fairgrounds. Over the next five years, it moved around to different sections of the grounds, and then in 2023 the show relocated to Heritage Park in nearby Forest City, IA, where it is now held every year on Labor Day weekend. Each year, this show presents cool trophies created by the team at Lifetime Nut Covers, who also host and produce the show.
Lifetime Nut Covers has been a regular advertiser in 10-4 Magazine for around fifteen years after meeting the magnificent duo of Erik Sieben and Daniel Linss at the Guilty by Association Truck Show in Joplin, MO. Speaking with JR regarding advertising with 10-4 Magazine all these years, he stated, “We don’t have sales reps because sales have been made by word of mouth. We joined forces with 10-4 Magazine because they are an appropriate and reputable company that has been able to help promote that word of mouth.”
I was able to visit the Lifetime Nut Covers location during operating hours for a tour of their facility and got to see machines cutting parts and the engraving machine working on some cool custom pieces. This was a great opportunity to learn more about the company, get an understanding of how the parts are made, and even see what their warehouse looks like. Their facility is clean and set up in a comfortable atmosphere.
Not every company can say their products are truly “Made in America” but Lifetime Nut Covers can, on every level – from the parts they make to the apparel they sell. Their CNC and plastic molding injection machines are made in Indiana. They maintain all the machines they’ve had since the beginning and continue to advance by adding machines that will not only enhance productivity but bring new ideas to life. And with hundreds of available acres surrounding the facility, the business has the ability to expand, inside and out, as much as needed.
Special thanks from JR to his wife Chelcee, first and foremost, for dealing with his crazy schedule, crazier hours, and providing amazing love and support, to his daughters for making him a dad and keeping him grounded, and to his father Dan and Julie, for instilling a solid work ethic, going along with some crazy build ideas, and all the support along the way. Last, but not least, to the amazing employees who show up no matter what, pick up the slack when there is truck show prep happening, and for working together as a team no matter what.
JR and Chelcee have been longtime friends who I unfortunately only get to see at shows or in a chance passing. Thank you for the time in showing me around the operation, a solid explanation about how things work, pulling out a couple of the trucks to photograph and, of course, the laughter, hugs and conversation. We live in a great nation, and nowhere else will you find this level of pride and ingenuity in the products manufactured here and branded with that ever important distinction – Made in America! To see all their great products, visit www.lifetimenutcovers.com today. As always, to all the drivers out there doing the deal, truck safe.