Last but not least in a three-part series highlighting the three trucks that participated in the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show’s Big Rig Build-Off, we’re taking a look at Bill Warner Jr. and Cody Warner’s 1988 Peterbilt 362 cabover. (See Build-Off winner Luke Rethwich's 1987 Peterbilt 359 build, and Build-Off competitor Davis Brothers Designs' 1987 Peterbilt 359, built for 4 State Trucks' Bryan Martin.)
The Warners, based out of Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, operate Bill Warner & Son Towing & Recovery, in operation for about 13 years, as well as the 10-truck William R. Warner Jr. Trucking coal-hauling business that’s been around for 35 years.
Bill said the coal-hauling dump business is his main operation, and starting the towing and recovery business was a diversification play to protect against a decline in the dump business. The Warners also operate a garage where they mostly work on their own trucks, with plenty custom work, as well as just a little outside work for other truck owners.
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Warner's been bringing trucks to participate in the MATS PKY Truck Beauty Championship for about 26 years, he said, noting that “we’ve won a little bit and lost a whole lot down here, but we have fun every year, so it’s all about having fun, whether you win or lose.” This was the first year Warner and company have participated in the Big Rig Build-Off. “We usually build a different truck every year to come down here, but this was just something new and different. We got asked, and we decided to do it.”
He said he’s usually more “laid back” when it comes to building trucks, so the quick six-month turnaround was out of his comfort zone for this 362. You can’t tell by looking at it, though.
The truck -- nicknamed “Hillbilly Hampton” -- was built for Cody Warner’s son, Jaden. It’s custom-built from the frame up, front to back.Video and photos by Lawson Rudisill
Every bolt on the truck has been touched, and many of them painted. The custom paint work extends to places on the truck most people would never see -- the underside of the rear fenders and the frame, for instance.
“Every bolt’s been out of the frame from front to back,” Warner said.
The frame was also stretched 10 inches to a 250-inch wheelbase. The Warner & Son Towing & Recovery name is painted on the cab jacks and shocks -- “just something out of the box a little bit,” he added. The custom mudflap brackets also feature the company name on them.
The rear of the truck features WTI fenders, a custom light panel and more.
The truck boasts new air tanks, air tank bands and straps for the tanks, and the fuel tanks themselves are nearly new, too.
The front bumper, custom made by Jeff Etling, features a bolt-free look. Also on the front end of the rig, the Warners swapped out the original square headlights for more old-school round lights. There's a chrome sun visor, and the 362's custom grille was made by RoadWorks.
The cab sits over a 550-hp Cat 2WS 3406E power plant, with a 13-speed. “All the brass has been polished,” Warner said of the engine.
The engine is painted green to match the rest of the truck.
The water lines and air lines are green, too, to go with the scheme of the truck. Brake lines are all braided stainless, and the valve covers are chromed.
Randy Martin with Spare Time Fab did the custom beige interior, which features diamond-tuck upholstery, Rockwood floors and more.
See plenty more of the custom work on the truck in the video up top.
More from MATS 2025 at this link.
[Related: Old-school perfection: 'Bossman' Bryan Martin's ’87 Pete 359]
Find plenty more views of the rig in the video up top, and for more videos and custom-equipment features delivered to your email inbox, subscribe to Overdrive's weekly Custom Rigs newsletter via this link.
