years)! Running sort of local (or maybe it would be considered regionally) these days, most of the trucks now stay in the upper Midwest states including Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. AJ is in charge of dispatching the trucks, but he gets out and drives, too, and his wife Rita works in the office and does all the billing and computer work. Trucking for more than six decades, you can imagine some of the cool trucks AJ has owned over the years. One of his first trucks was a 1958 Diamond T, and then he went on to own three Diamond REO trucks (a 1967, 1969, and 1975), he bought a brand-new narrow-nose Peterbilt in 1971, another new Peterbilt in 1972 (which he restored and still owned up until two years ago when he sold it to his son-in-law), and three more Peterbilts in 1974. He also bought one of the first White Freightliner WFC 120 conventionals in 1975. Most of the trucks he has purchased over the years were used, but he has bought some brand-new ones as mentioned, too. The 1972 Peterbilt was also featured in one of the earlier episodes of the “Trick My Truck” television show on CMT. With longevity in his genes, AJ isn’t planning to stop working anytime soon. Coming from a family with five boys and one girl, his oldest sister just passed away a few months ago at 99 years old. He also has brothers that are 98 and 91 years old, along with two brothers who have passed away – one at 94 and another that died from cancer in his early 60s. AJ is the “baby” of the bunch at just 82 years old, and he has four grown children – one boy and three girls – along with many grandkids, too. Finding this truck by accident after attending a funeral for a trucking friend in Lafayette, IN last year, me and my Sales Manager, contributor, and friend Eric Hill dropped in at Jason “JC” Alt’s house for a visit and dinner, and AJ’s 10-4 Magazine / July 2025 27 truck was parked in JC’s shop. The pinstriper had just been there to repaint all the pinstriping and graphics, and the truck looked great! JC told us a bit about AJ and the truck, and encouraged us to consider featuring it in the magazine. After thinking about it for just a few seconds, we said, “We are here, let’s do it!” So, JC pulled it out on the grass and parked it next to his pond with a fountain and we did an impromptu photo shoot. Working in the trucking industry his entire life, AJ has seen and done a lot. His fleet today is all Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks, and he is known for keeping them all extremely clean. AJ plans to keep trucking until someone tells him he can’t anymore – and then he still might do it a little while longer after that! Working hard is just in his DNA. I am not a gambling man, but if push came to shove, I think Art “AJ” Wendt and his mostly original 1981 Kenworth W900A would both be safe bets!! n
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