The 1981 Kenworth W900A gracing these pages is exactly what the title says – a labor of love! What started as a single axle day cab truck from California turned into the large ride pictured here. Piloted and owned by Daniel Fritz of Bloomsburg, PA, the truck went through quite the transformation from what it had been.
Going back over six long decades, Dan’s grandparents, Norman and Gloria Fritz, started the trucking company, N.W. Fritz, in 1962. Their shop was built in 1971 and that’s where all the work has been done on their trucks and trailers since. Norman hauled steel out of Pittsburgh at this point and then leased onto Milton Transport in 1975 where he ran general freight. When Dan and his father bought his grandparents out in August of 2014 they got into the potato game under their own authority.
Up until 2015, the company ran all Mack trucks, with Norman’s first truck being a B-Model Mack. In 2015, Dan’s father Greg decided to go the Peterbilt route and ordered two 386 glider kit tractors from Fitzgerald, with one being red and the other being blue. The company currently operates four trucks including a Mack Pinnacle, the two Peterbilt 386s, and Dan’s A-Model.
While attending Misericordia University for Business Administration, Dan realized he would rather continue the family business instead of working for someone else. After Dan graduated he worked for his grandparents for a year and obtained his CDL. When he was not driving he was handling all the office work and working in the shop. Dan always had an interest in trucks, but it did not get serious until college.
Acquiring this Kenworth W900A in 2017 from California, as mentioned before, the truck was a single axle and it was equipped with a CAT 3406A. Once the truck arrived in Pennsylvania a complete tear-down began. The project took over seven years from start to finish, and Dan cannot even count how many hours went into it. The frame was cut and then a 2011 Freightliner Airliner suspension, equipped with disc brakes, was installed in place of the original rear setup. This brought the truck to a 270” wheelbase, and 3.36 rears round out the back of the truck. The 3406A was swapped out with a 14L Detroit Diesel Series 60 that is backed by a 13-speed Eaton Fuller transmission.
All the tear down, frame stretch work, and paint was done in-house by Dan, his dad, and the third owner, Kevin Weisenberger. Some custom pieces on the truck include the chromed factory wiper arms, grab handles, cab stack mounts, all stainless steel tubing and a custom stainless steel fan shroud. Once Dan, Greg and Kevin finished their work on the truck, it was taken down to Keith Nolt at Trostle Hill Garage, located in Mohnton, PA, for final assembly. Keith put the entire truck back together, including setting the motor, cab, hood and bunk on the frame. Keith also did all the plumbing and wiring work. The front axle is sitting on a Shane Kurtz air ride kit, with leveling valves done by Trostle Hill Garage, and 6” Lincoln Chrome stacks were chosen for the classic rig’s exhaust.
At this time, the interior was also installed by Randy Martin at SpareTime Fab, based out of Myerstown, PA. Once the Kenworth was completely put back together, it was taken back up to Bloomsburg for some final touches. Dan’s mom Sue did all the pinstriping and lettering on the truck. Dan used to haul a spud wagon, but earlier this year he picked up a 2026 Vanguard refrigerated trailer. Once the trailer arrived, Dan and the guys got to work on making it their own. All the paint on the upper and lower rails, landing gear, reefer unit and several other spots was done in-house. Dan’s mom was able to put her touch on the trailer, as well, adding more classy pinstriping and the company name.
I asked Dan what his favorite part of the truck is and he says by far the engine bay and the wiring inside the dash that no one sees. As Dan put it, “It’s a work of art!” I also asked him if he would have done anything differently and he said he would have re-railed the truck instead of doing the cutoff. Live and learn, right?!
The truck had been on my “to shoot list” for quite some time, but Dan and I were never really able to connect to get it done. Dan and I actually met for the first time at the Macungie show this past year. While working on my report for this show, my editor Dan Linss saw the truck in the photos I had sent over and immediately said, “I want a feature on this truck, yesterday!” It worked out that we were able to shoot it in September at Snavely’s Mill in Lititz, PA. Dan and I would like to thank Dan Snavely for allowing us to use the mill for this part of the shoot.
I was worried when I woke up that Saturday morning for the photo shoot because it was awfully foggy, but luckily it lifted (for the most part) and we were able to get the photos done. After seeing these additional photos, my editor, who was really excited, decided to bump Dan’s A-Model to a cover feature. Specific photos are needed for that, so we did a second photo shoot on Halloween weekend. I made the trek up to Bloomsburg in search of the perfect spot. Luckily, the weather was beautiful, and the few remaining trees with color really helped make the combo pop even more.
Dan would like to thank his wife, Tiffany, his folks, Greg and Sue, his grandparents, Norman and Gloria (none of this would have been possible without them), and Kevin. He is also extremely thankful for the talent of Trostle Hill Garage and the incredible work Keith Nolt did in putting the truck back together. Other thanks go to Windview Truck and Trailer Repair, LK Kustomz, SpareTime Fab, Cook Brothers Truck Parts and Horse & Buggy Accessories.
When Dan isn’t driving or working in the shop he can be found at home, enjoying time with friends and family, and cooking. Needless to say, Dan and others “cooked up” one hell of a rig! This truck is no fair weather queen – Dan runs her every day and in every season, hauling refrigerated products all around the east coast and sometimes to the Midwest. Anyone who runs an old truck like this knows what it takes to keep it going and looking good – it’s truly a labor of love, and Dan Fritz is getting it done!