Tomah, Wisconsin-based Invoice Rethwisch along with his {custom} truck builds isn’t any stranger to the pages of Overdrive, having been featured quite a few instances a decade or extra in the past for giant wins in Overdrive’s Delight & Polish competitors, Shell Rotella SuperRigs occasions and others.
Rethwisch of late has taken a step again from the nationwide truck present circuit however has continued to construct high quality vans for his small fleet’s drivers. His sons, ages 17 and 12, are beginning to get the truck-building bug, too.
„My boys are taking up now,“ Rethwisch mentioned. „My two sons are 12 and 17, and I am simply type of serving to them. I am completed doing it myself, however I like to assist them.“
On the Stars, Stripes and White Strains Truck Present, hosted by the Bennett Household of Firms within the fall of 2024 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Rethwisch confirmed off his fleet’s latest construct, a 2023 Peterbilt 389 that he simply bought again from Semi Informal, the Fitzgerald-affiliated {custom} store. After that present, the truck was introduced into Rethwisch’s fuel-hauling Rethwisch Transport enterprise to be put to work.
The fleet hauls gas within the Higher Midwest, in addition to lubricants all around the United States, Mexico and Canada. Rethwisch mentioned enterprise has largely been sturdy up till most not too long ago when he’s run into different carriers hauling merchandise for decrease charges, bringing his charges down. “I feel that type of everyone on this trade proper now could be coping with this,” he famous.
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Not like a lot of his {custom} vans, this one wasn’t ordered particularly for Rethwisch, it simply “got here in on the lot,” he mentioned. The Spanish Gold paint scheme caught his eye and he determined to buy the unit.
[Related: 2013 National Champion, Working Combo: Bill Rethwisch’s 2012 Peterbilt 389 and Polar tanker]
“We thought we had been simply going to place some stainless on it and go to work with it,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless, after speaking to the motive force who’s going to be within the truck, „He favored the concept of performing some {custom} pinstriping, hand pinstriping, doing the deal with on the door and all the things,” Rethwisch mentioned. That pinstriping is proven right here across the Peterbilt emblem on the hood, in addition to across the gas cap and sleeper door deal with within the picture beneath.
He despatched the truck to Semi Informal, “they usually type of put their aptitude on it and type of bought what we wished to have on it.”
On the time of the truck present in Atlanta on Nov. 1-2, he had simply picked up the rig and introduced it straight to the present from Semi Informal’s store in Crossville, Tennessee. A brand new tanker was ready for it again in Wisconsin, which Rethwisch mentioned would make it “a pleasant, matched unit.”
Rethwisch mentioned his purpose with this truck was to maintain it “a little plain,” with the thought that “clear is cool on this one. We’ve gone excessive on different ones earlier than, however I really feel like that is only a good, clear, cool truck to get to drive on daily basis.”
Stainless half-fenders over the rear axles stand out towards the truck’s black body.
[Related: Bill Rethwisch wins back-to-back SuperRigs titles, takes 2014’s with ’13 Pete]
Beneath the hood, it includes a 565-hp Cummins with an 18-speed and three.42 rears with full lockers. It sits on a 295-inch wheelbase, “so it’s fairly nicely arrange for the way in which we wish to set our vans up.”
The sleeper is a 63-inch flattop, a glance he’s all the time favored for his tanker-pulling tractors.
The truck as proven right here is just about how Rethwisch deliberate to maintain it, except for placing a CB in it, including a moist equipment “so we can load and unload our trailers simply,” and taking off the steps to placed on chrome steel covers — “simply our regular stuff,” he famous.
On the again of the 63-inch flattop sleeper, the truck’s nickname — and a nod to Rethwisch’s total fuel-hauling fleet — „Haulin Fuel with Class.“
[Related: Retired owner-op’s 1968 Peterbilt 358A build makes triumphant run]
Discover lots extra views of the rig within the video up high, and for extra movies and custom-equipment options delivered to your e mail inbox, subscribe to Overdrive‚s weekly Customized Rigs e-newsletter through this hyperlink.
Invoice Rethwisch: I am Invoice Rethwisch. My enterprise identify is Rethwisch Transport, and we’re primarily based out of Tomah, Wisconsin. We’re a gas hauler up within the higher Midwest, in addition to we do lubricants all around the United States and dealing on, components of Mexico and Canada.
Matt Cole: All proper, then, how lengthy have you ever owned the corporate? When did you begin?
Rethwisch: In 2009.
Cole: You understand, folks which have been following Overdrive for some time are in all probability aware of your identify from presentt rucks again in, you realize, decade or so in the past, have you ever been doing present vans within the meantime, or are you type of get again into it now?
Rethwisch: Oh, no. We stored doing, we simply have not been going all around the nation like we had been type of.
My boys are taking up now, so my two sons are 12 and 17, and I am simply type of serving to them. Yeah, I am completed doing that myself, however I like to assist them.
Cole: Superior. All proper, nicely, inform me about this truck.
Rethwisch: So this truck right here, really, we did not order this one. It got here in on the lot, and I actually like the colour.
The Spanish Gold, it’s known as. And, we took it residence, however now we’re simply going to place some stainless on and go to work with it. After which, we type of bought speaking to the motive force. That is going to get it. He favored the concept of doing a number of the hand pinstriping doing the hand on the door and all the things, so he despatched it again all the way down to semi informal in Tennessee, they usually type of put their aptitude on it and type of bought it what we wished to have on it.
And so now we’re capable of decide it up a pair days in the past and we’re, excited to get it again residence, get to work, and we now have a brand new trailer ready for it. So be a pleasant match unit. We’ll put the identify on the trailer and all the things and it’s going to be nice. And the one factor we’ll do, we’ll add is, nicely, we’ll take the steps off and put stainless covers on there and, simply our regular stuff, get the CB and get our moist equipment on it so we will load and unload our trailers simply and, that is about all we’ll be doing with the drivers excited to get it. So we’re excited to offer it to them. We type of stored it a little bit bit plain on this one, however I believed perhaps clear is cool on this one. We have gone excessive on different ones earlier than, however I really feel like that is only a good, clear, cool truck to get to drive on daily basis.
It is bought a 565 Cummins. It is bought an 18-speed transmission and 3.42 rear ends and full lockers. It is 295 wheelbase. So it is fairly nicely arrange for the way in which we wish to set our vans up. The 63-inch flat high. And, a few of our vans, we have gone to the stand-up sleepers, however I nonetheless just like the flat high. Look on the tankers.
