Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/904267
CUSTOM RIGS 70 | Overdrive | November 2017 T wo women looking into the sleeper window of the Dawes' Contract Car- riage's Kenworth at the Great American Trucking Show in August were tick- led by the fancy interior: red shag carpeting, a small disco ball and button-tufted upholstery throughout. "It's a shaggin' wagon!" exclaimed one of the admirers of the 2016 T660 coupled with a 2018 Globe RGN tri-axle. Joel Dawes, owner of the Waterford, Wisconsin- based company, said later that's a fair description, though that wasn't his intent with the custom design. "We're having fun with it," he said. Not only did the rig grab the attention of GATS attendees, it also garnered praise from Overdrive's Pride & Polish judges. The truck earned a Best of Show in the Working Combo category. "We wanted to have something that nobody else shows that has a 'wow' value," Dawes said. The upholstery's 800- plus buttons are a "wow" in themselves. "Each button had to be sanded down, primered, painted and clear-coated to match the truck," said Dawes driver Bubba Branch, an owner-op- erator who handles the company's heavy-haul division. "That's a lot of work." The viper-red paint scheme with black accents was inspired by the school colors of the University of Wisconsin, where Dawes' daughter is enrolled. Dawes' Contract Car- riage runs 10 or 11 reefer trucks, but the T660 that showed at GATS is one of two trucks that handle heavy-haul, Branch said. "We're permitted on six axles for 127,000 pounds," he said. They're looking to build another rig with seven axles permitted for 147,000 pounds to haul more construction equip- ment and other overdimen- sional freight. "If we can fi t it, we'll move it." TWO VIDEOS. At youtube.com/OverdriveMag, visit the Featured Truckers playlist to see an interview with Stephanie Klang. Visit the Custom Rigs playlist to see more on the Dawes truck. Stephanie Klang, 2017 Overdrive's Most Beautiful winner, stopped by the Dawes truck when it was entered in Overdrive's Pride & Polish at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. Klang, a CFI com- pany driver, represented her fleet as an America's Road Team captain in 2013. She's also served in other ambassador roles for CFI and has spoken about trucking to groups of Girl Scouts and high schools. On Wisconsin! Viper-red KW built for heavy-haul BY MAX HEINE The dash, steering wheel, cup holders, shifter and even the shag carpeting inside the truck match the exterior's viper-red paint scheme.