If you run up and down Interstate 5 in Washington State or live in the Rochester, WA area, there’s one exit that truckers with shiny rides know well and like to do some “showin’ off” at – Exit 88. Home to the I-5 Chrome Shop, KT Charboneau Trucking, and S&W Truck Wash, there is always a lot of “cool” happening around Exit 88 – especially once a year when a show and customer appreciation event is held there.
Even on a normal day, when you stop by the wash or chrome shop, there are typically a few shiny rigs parked and showin’ off in the parking lot – it’s a truck show unto itself. But, once a year, the folks at KT Charboneau celebrate with their customers and those of us who love big rigs by hosting a truck show. Known as the Exit 88 Truck Show, the 5th annual event, held August 2, 2025, attracted 45 beautiful trucks from the surrounding area. This year saw a bit of a drop in trucks, probably because it rained that morning (the year before they had a record turnout of 100 trucks).
This location is only 40 minutes from Montesano (where I live), so my dad and I hopped in the car and drove over to the show to check it out. Initially a little overcast, it became a beautiful day, with temperatures in the mid to high 70s. Eventually, the sky cleared up, and the sun came out, allowing all that fancy paint, polished aluminum, chrome and stainless-steel to shine. As I’m new to truck shows (I just turned 15 years old), I wasn’t sure what to expect but was welcomed by many of the participants as I explored the show and all the trucks, several of which caught my eye.
One truck that got my attention was a beautiful bright green Peterbilt 389X from Steve Finneman Trucking out of Milltown, Montana. Everything about the truck was amazing, from the long wheelbase to the big, polished Herd Texas bull bar up front. Anything on the truck that could be polished was, and color matching all around the truck really made it pop nicely, too.
Another truck that looked good was a 2001 Peterbilt model 379 log truck. This type of truck is common in this part of the country, and this one was owned by Bryce Ballinger. Something I liked about the truck was the paint scheme, with blue-ish green fenders and a blue stripe along the side of the truck. It also had old style 359 headlights, which gave it a classic old school Peterbilt look, which I thought was really neat.
One of the older trucks I saw was a 1976 Peterbilt model 289 owned by Don Gum. Painted in a beautiful blue paint scheme, you can tell Don takes pride in his ride. With polished stainless fenders, big straight pipes, and lots of polished aluminum such as his wheels and fuel tank, this truck had lots of shine and personality. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to talk to Don. But, with it being my first time ever seeing one of these older Peterbilt trucks, I thought it was really interesting to see this model 289 up close and in person.
In the back of the chrome shop near the truck wash, there were two cool Peterbilt 389s, brought by Josh Roberts Trucking, that got my attention. One Peterbilt was a very nice red color that matched the Peterbilt logo, and it had a big stainless bumper, which gave it a mean look. Some things that popped out on the truck were the old style 379 mirrors and the five clear bullet marker lights on top of the cab, along with three matching clear lights on the air cleaners, which gave the truck a clean look, with the lights almost blending into it.
Right next to that 389 was another beautiful 389 with a stunning metallic blue color and white stripes. From the air cleaners to the mirror mounts, the truck blended together perfectly. This truck didn’t have any marker lights on top of the cab, but it did have two nice, clear watermelon lights on each end of the bumper. One touch on the truck that I really liked was its bowtie visor, which gave the truck a lot of character and a sleek custom look.
There were a lot of good-looking Petes at the show, but with Washington being a Kenworth state, there were plenty of those, too. One that caught my eye was KT Charboneau’s truck number 44. Everything on the truck matched perfectly, including the paint scheme, which featured black and gray paint with pink and white pinstriping on the hood. Something else on the truck that turned my head was all the watermelon lights running down the sides of the truck.
Another KT Charboneau truck that really got my attention was number 77. It’s a Kenworth W900L, but something that caught my eye was the Seminole paint scheme. I really liked the red and gray colors on it, and the 62” low-top sleeper gave the truck a super sleek look, making it stand out even more. Like all the other trucks KT Charboneau had at the show, it was polished beautifully, from the visor to the wheels.
Although the Exit 88 Truck Show doesn’t do specific awards, they do a People’s Choice award, and this year that award went to David Blake out of Enumclaw, WA with his stellar cream and red Peterbilt 389. That truck shined beautifully in the sun, from the stacks to the wheels and everything in between, being polished up nicely. One thing that I personally liked was the Peterbilt logo on the side of the hood – the chrome and handwriting style looked classy.
Although this was my first time going to this show and only my second time ever going to a truck show, I really enjoyed seeing the pride the drivers put in their trucks. I would definitely attend this show again and would recommend that you do the same.
Shortly after the event, the chrome shop announced they are closing, but the wash is still there and KT Charboneau continues to run their trucking business there, as well – and they have already committed to having their 6th annual show there again next year. Exit 88 is like a small truck show every day, as the parking lot there is often filled with tall rides just hangin’ out and showin’ off. So, if you are passing by, on any day, slow down and check it out!