10-4 Magazine / May 2026 23 awesome, but only one truck could win, and this year it was Randy Menkel and the team from Never Satisfied Builds and J&L Contracting with their “Outta The Ordinary” stellar rig. Starting off with a 1985 Peterbilt 359 and a completely rebuilt Double Eagle bunk, the truck is powered by a 650-hp 5EK CAT, with all the sharp edges on the entire engine ground smooth and rounded off. It also has a 20K pusher axle, a 320” wheelbase, an 18-speed transmission with a 4-speed auxiliary, and is painted in some of the coolest colors ever – Downpour Metallic Blue, Legendary Red, Legendary Silver, and Gun Metal Gray. Inside, the custom interior features a triple-arched dash, a 4,000-watt stereo, and a glove-box filled with the signatures of everyone who helped with the build. Going for that “Wow!” factor, the rig has almost 100 white and blue watermelon lights hidden underneath, in addition to all the exterior lighting you can see. And as if the truck was not enough, the boys at Never Satisfied Builds also took a 20-foot shipping container and converted it into a lounge. Placed behind the truck to create a space with a certain vibe, and also a place for them to hang out together, it was a nice touch. Presentation is important with these Build-Off trucks, and Randy and his crew most certainly deserved the $20,000 purse, the big beautiful trophy, and the bragging rights of being the 2026 Big Rig Build-Off Champions! Congratulations!! Some of the other notable winners included Phillip Couch and his white and orange 1999 Freightliner Classic XL (which we featured in our February 2026 edition), Richie Foster and his 2022 Peterbilt 389 (which graced our May 2023 cover), Blake Ray’s silver, black and white 2020 Peterbilt 389 and 2026 MAC tanker (which was originally built and featured by our own Clint Moore way back in June 2019), and Jeff Dills. While taking pictures on the lot, I took a photo of Jeff’s metallic green 2007 Pete 379 and polished 2001 Utility refrigerated trailer, which had a strange contraption mounted to the side of the cab. I did not know what it was, but at the awards it became clear – he is in a wheelchair, and that is the lift he uses to get up in the cab! Pretty cool. And although the Dandee Dairy truck did not beat the Sands truck, it did fetch the Best Paint trophy and the coveted People’s Choice award, which might be even better. Some of the other winning trucks which I liked best included Dean Cross and his maroon and black big bunk 2000 Peterbilt 379 and matching 2022 Utility reefer trailer, David Duncan’s bright red 1984 “Slow Boogie” Peterbilt 359 mounted on a 2017 chassis, and CJ Narin’s (Discount Dirtworks) creative white and green 2025 Kenworth W900L covered with all sorts of custom western engraving. A few other standouts rigs included Jeffrey Botelho’s “Black Tie Affair” (a totally custom black and blue Cali style 2-axle 2022 Peterbilt 389 built for Fritz Voight), Flat Top Transport’s red Peterbilt with a short Double Eagle sleeper and heart-shaped windows on the sides, and a sweet white with red stripes Peterbilt cabover, owned and operated by Johnson Horse Transport. Over the entire four days of the show, starting on Wednesday and going through Saturday, our digital guru John Testa was doing live remotes from the show – like he has since 2017 – both inside and outside. We would like to acknowledge and thank all our sponsors over the four days, which included Van Der Zwaag Customs, Carpenter Custom Trucks & Trailers, Lifetime Nut Covers, Valley Chrome Plating, Amcan, Evans Detailing and Polishing, Rogue Truck Body, Dickerson Custom Trucks, Trux Accessories, Zephyr Polishing Products, Renegade Products, Reiselt’s Machine Works, Pittsburgh Power/Max Mileage, Talladega Fiberglass, HD Equipment, Dirty Business Truck Show, I-29 Custom Truck Parts, and DEF Tank Solutions. Thank you all for your support. We hope everyone enjoyed the streams – especially if you could not be at the show! Thanks to everyone on our team who helped in the booth including Miss Shannon, Eric Hill, Gerald “JT” Todd and his son Trey, Tammy Hinkey, Jerry Schisler, Jed Debardeleban, Josh and Renee Rietveld, their son Carson and his friend Bill, Dan, Amanda, and Nick. Thanks to Jacob Gunderson for helping us out with photography work, and to Carl Carstens of Rockwood Products for always printing the big posters of our past covers for the back wall of our booth. Also, big thanks to John Testa for doing his livestreams all week long and taking care of business. Next year’s show is scheduled for March 18-20, 2027. We hope to see you, because if you intend to stay “ahead of the curve” next year, you need to be there! n
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy