Missouri-based owner-operator Ricky Bronson wasn't sure about the stripe design for the hot pink accents on his brand-new 2022 Kenworth W900L when he ordered it.
He was working with MHC Kenworth's Larry Lawhead on a new purchase during the run-up in truck prices during COVID.
"I had a 2000 Pete and ran my mouth off, priced it to a guy, and he bought it," Bronson said. "So, I had to come up with a truck right about the time that trucks were going crazy. I couldn't find a used truck worth buying and liked to never found a new truck and finally stumbled upon this."
Ricky Bronson
But Lawhead made the decision on the paint to go with a black base with turquoise stripes and hot pink accents.
"It's his colors, his paint scheme," Bronson said. "That was all him. He done a good job on it. I really like it."
That wasn't always the case, though. When Lawhead told Bronson the hot pink would be on it, he was "leery," he said, and in the months waiting for the truck to be built, "I'm nervous, thinking, you know, I've just went in debt for a truck that I may not like."
Bronson and his wife flew out to Seattle to pick the truck up, and when he saw it rolling around the corner, "I'm like, 'yeah, that'll work,'" Bronson said.
The rig is a working truck, pulling reefers leased to Ozark Truck Lines in Springdale, Arkansas. Bronson has only shown it in a truck show three times, all at the Guilty by Association Truck Show in Joplin in 2021, 2023 and 2025. That first year it was brand-new and had just 2,500 miles on it. By this last year in 2025, Bronson had hauled more than 500,000 miles with the unit.
Powered by a Cummins X15 with an 18-speed and 3.36 rears, the truck also features some custom touches -- "just the normal stuff you do" to customize trucks, Bronson said.
That includes rear fenders, front bumper and more, he said.
Inside the truck, Bronson's got Kenworth's Seattle package with color-swapped turquoise buttons to match the exterior. He's also put in a new floor and painted the dash.
[Related: CS Trucking's custom livestock-hauler 2024 Kenworth W900L]
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Ricky Bronson: I pull a reefer. Yeah, I grew up around trucks. My dad's truck driver, grandpa, just a trucking family. Finally got the opportunity to buy one and bought one and just been there ever since.
My name's Ricky Bronson. I live here by Joplin, leased to a company out of Springdale, Arkansas. This is actually my fourth one. I had two other Peterbilts and then another Kenworth. Well, I had a 2000 Pete and ran my mouth off, priced it to a guy and he bought it. So I had to come up with a truck. And right about the time that trucks were going crazy, I couldn't find a used truck worth buying. And liked to never found a new truck and finally stumbled upon this. Build sheet wasn't even done on it yet. And Larry Lawhead at Kenworth here in Joplin, he had it started and that's kind of how we ended up with this one.
The salesman, Larry Lawhead. It's his colors, his paint scheme. I mean, that was all him. He done a good job on it. I really like it. Get a lot of compliments on the paint. I had looked at a different truck a few days prior and kind of was thinking about it. And when we decided to go for it, well, it was too late. Somebody done bought it. And he's like, "But just wait." He said, "I got one in the works." He said, "Come up here and look at it. " He says, "It's black, turquoise and hot pink." And I'm like, "I don't know about this hot pink, Larry." And he's like, "No, it's all right." So I go to his office and actually it was a computer rendering is all I'd seen. And it was a white background. I couldn't picture the black. And I'm like, "I don't know about this."
We went ahead and went for it. And for a couple months while we're waiting on the truck, I'm nervous thinking I've just went in debt for a truck that I may not like. And finally sent me a picture and I'm like, "Okay, not bad." And then me and my wife flew out to Seattle to pick it up at the plant and they rolled around the corner and I'm like, "Yeah, that'll work." But yeah, it's all his colors and scheme. And I was a little leery about the pink at first, but it turned out pretty good. You can't hide. Everybody sees it. I get a lot of compliment. I mean, and I've met a lot of people just because of the truck. Everybody knows the truck, just nobody knows me.
It's a Cummins, X15 Cummins with 18 speed, 3.36 rears. It's got 511,000 and it had 11 mile on it when we picked it up.
We did the lights and bumpers, of course, and did the floor inside, painted the dash. It's got the Seattle package interior with a button color change and fenders and just the normal stuff you do. This is the only show as far as Joplin show, but it's been here the last three shows. The three shows ago, it was brand new and we had about 2,500 mile on it and that's when we drove it home and brung it to the show. And then after the show, we put it to work and it worked ever since.
