I ended up having to purchase another 362 as a donor truck for panels and other parts we needed,” said Dennis. He then continued with, “I sent the C15 out to Fabik CAT in Wausau, Wisconsin to be overhauled and then had E.L.M. Diesel in Edgar, Wisconsin tune and uprate it.” The strong 6NZ Caterpillar now pushes 750-hp to the ground. After Dennis and Shane got the truck put back together, it was sent to Barry Myers in Rosholt, Wisconsin, where Barry gave the Pete its beautiful blue and black paint scheme. “I have a Kenworth T600 that’s painted in that same blue, and I really liked that color, so I decided to use it on the 362 as well,” said Dennis as he was telling me where he got his inspiration for the Peterbilt’s paint scheme. “Barry had the truck for 10-4 Magazine / September 2025 35 about four months, and he did a beautiful job on the paint, although I had to push him a little to get it done,” explained Dennis, adding, “I was just excited, and wanted to go to some shows with it!” After getting the truck back from Barry, Shane and Dennis got it finished in time with Barry so they could all take the cabover to the 2018 Waupun Truck Show, where the 362 won first place in the cabover class. The 110” 362 cab has air-ride and sports a 235” wheelbase, and with a big yellow CAT 6NZ C15 under the doghouse, mated to an Eaton-Fuller 18-speed transmission, the power is pushed to 3.55 rears. The truck rides on a Peterbilt low air-leaf suspension with 24.5 polished Alcoa Peterbilt oval hole rims wrapped in low-pro rubber. But the cool factors don’t stop there. The 362 has custom 110-gallon fuel tanks from AlumiTank, stainless half fenders from Hogebuilt, 7” straight pipes and a custom stainless deckplate. A custom 24” stainless bumper from Ron’s Repair in Worthington, Minnesota completes the Pete’s look. With 20 lights in the bumper alone, there are a total of 126 lights on the Pete. “The truck lights up nicely at night, so I’ve won some light awards at the shows,” said Dennis. Inside, the old 362 has Peterbilt’s classic gray and black velour interior, every gauge possible, a full tilt steering column, cruise control, and factory high back seats. Dennis also added a modern Pioneer head unit so he could enjoy his music while in the truck. “Sadly, I don’t know how many miles are on the truck,” answered Dennis, when I asked him if he knew. In order to complete the look that Dennis was going for, he purchased a 2007 stainless steel Great Dane spread-axle refrigerated trailer equipped with a Thermo King SB210 reefer unit. With the top and bottom rails and the reefer unit painted blue to match the 362, the trailer has 80 lights on it and only adds to the impressive custom look of the entire setup. But for Dennis, this truck is more than just a retirement playtoy. In many ways, it’s a personal reward for his hard work, not giving up, and dealing with the ups and downs that life can throw at you. Dennis told me the story of how he ended up starting his own trucking company,
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