As the book begins to close on 2025, so does the truck show season with the conclusion of Overdrive’s Pride & Polish virtual competition.
After a month's worth of voting through November, the field's narrowed from 52 entries in one or more of five categories. Overdrive readers singled out the trucks deemed the best of the best in each.
The 2025 Pride & Polish truck beauty competition caps off what's been a memorable truck-show season, chronicled in part in our weekly Custom Rigs series. Winners of each category will be broadcast in a special presentation prior to New Year’s Day on this page, as well as Overdrive’s YouTube channel. Stay tuned for more details.
See all the winning trucks below, with owner listings in each category. All finalists in each category will receive a plaque commemorating the recognition.
And here's a big congrats to all the finalists!
Antique -- for trucks 2000 & older
From left: Gary Mackay’s “Just for Fun” 1998 Peterbilt 379EXHD; David Parmer’s “Big Green Mean Machine” 1973 White Freightliner COE; and Charles Thomas’ 1979 White Western Star
Idaho-based Gary Mackay, owner of One Circle Farm, moves his farm’s commodities to market with his 1998 Peterbilt 379. Mackay has updated the rig with new paint and stainless parts all around, with plenty of polish. It boasts a brand-new Cat engine with an 18-speed, upgraded axles and suspension with disc brakes.
A perennial favorite among Overdrive’s readers is Georgia-based David Parmer’s 1973 White Freightliner Cabover, the “Big Green Mean Machine.” Parmer’s rig was a finalist in 2024 in Interior and Limited Mileage; a 2023 finalist in Limited Mileage; and a 2022 finalist in Interior. Parmer bought the truck from an owner via eBay in 2004 and started his own restoration of it in 2017. That process included rebuilding the 8V71 Detroit and 13-speed, new brakes, slack adjusters, brake chambers, wheel seals, air lines, and much more.
Based in Vermont, owner-operator Charles Thomas’s 1979 White Western Star boasts a Big Cam Cummins that’s tuned up to put 740 hp to the ground and 888 hp and 1,873 ft.-lb. torque at the flywheel. That Cummins is paired with an 18-speed and a 2012 Airliner cutoff with 3.55 rears. It sits on a 268-inch wheelbase.
Interior -- for style, comfort
From left: Gary Mackay’s 1998 Peterbilt 379 EXHD; Kenny Ziglar’s “Scrapin’ By” 2007 Peterbilt 379; and John Treadway’s 1998 Peterbilt 379, “Teal Appeal.”
As mentioned above, Gary Mackay’s 1998 Pete 379 hauls farm commodities for his Idaho farm operation. Mackay, along with other updates to the rig, has put in an all-new interior to go along with the Peterbilt Bed & Breakfast sleeper equipped with a bunk heater and upgraded stereo.
Owner-operator Kenny Ziglar’s big 2025 continues into Overdrive’s Pride & Polish competition with his 2007 Peterbilt 379, “Scrapin’ By,” earning a finalist nod in both Interior and Working Bobtail. The Wyoming-based owner-operator has completely rebuilt the former car-haul tractor, inside and out. Ziglar uses the rig to pull tankers filled with chemicals, oils, and both hazmat and non-hazmat products. Since Overdrive first caught up with him at the 2024 Stars, Stripes and White Lines truck show, Ziglar's completely updated the interior, and the 379 picked up numerous awards in 2025, including Best of Show at Shell Rotella SuperRigs and Working Bobtail National Champion at the Stars, Stripes and White Lines show.
Owner-operator John Treadway, first featured in Overdrive after the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show and later as an Overdrive Trucker of the Month in September, built his 1998 Peterbilt 379 and matching 2017 Great Dane reefer to replicate the paint scheme on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The unit, named “Teal Appeal,” features an interior that’s an exact match to the exterior with teal, gray and white striping throughout. The interior was done by Daniel and Sons Upholstery in Treadway’s Kokomo, Indiana, hometown. It's been a tough latter part of the year for Teal Appeal mechanically, as Treadway made clear in this recent edition of Overdrive Radio.
Limited Mileage/Show -- part-time workers and show builds
From left: Mike Maher’s 1989 Peterbilt 379EXHD; Bruce Roche’s 1991 Kenworth K100; and Clifton Parsley’s “Heavy Hook” 2024 Peterbilt 389 tow truck.
Florida-based owner-operator Mike Maher built his 1989 Peterbilt 379EXHD on his own, including the impressive air brush paint work. The rig features several handmade fabricated parts. The paint is Black Cherry and Diablo Red Kandi over a silver base coat. It’s powered by a Cat 3406B with a 13 speed and 3.55 rears. It worked hauling lime for several years, but it’s been off the road during Maher’s build. He plans to put it back to work once his work on it is complete.
Bruce Roche, based in Manitoba, Canada, bought this 1991 Kenworth K100 from National Mobile Television out of Torrance, California, which used it to pull a movie production trailer around the country. Roche purchased the rig in 2006 and relocated it to Canada, where it became part of his fleet to operate during the summer months. The mechanical Cummins N14 was rebuilt in 2011 with a 13-speed overdrive transmission and 3.70 rears.
Based out of Cave City, Kentucky, CTS Towing owner Clifton Parsley operates “Heavy Hook,” a 2024 Peterbilt 389 tow truck. It boasts a 565-hp Cummins with an 18-speed and features a Miller 50-ton rotator. He bought the unit new in August 2024 and has taken it to a number of truck shows, where it’s picked up several trophies. He’s added an EZ Pete interior, along with plenty lights and stainless all around.
Working Bobtail
From left: Hunter Hubbard’s 2005 Kenworth W900B, “Smurfette;” Ronald Anselm’s 2024 Kenworth W900, “Dirty Money,” owned by Rob Hallahan; and Kenny Ziglar’s 2007 Peterbilt 379, “Scrapin’ By.”
Another 2025 Overdrive Trucker of the Month, Hunter Hubbard, bought her 2005 Kenworth W900 dump truck from a friend as a W900S sloped-hood model. Those S-model parts were hard to come by, as Kenworth didn’t build too many of the units, so with a few modifications, she transformed the truck into a W900B, now named “Smurfette.”
Ronald Anselm, a company driver for Rob Hallahan and his Hallahan Transport business, drives this 2024 Kenworth W900, nicknamed “Dirty Money.” The truck was painted at the factory in Mountain Dew Green and Omaha Orange and sits on a 295-inch wheelbase. Powered by a Cummins engine, Anselm and the Hallahan team have swapped the exterior lights for clear watermelons, except for the top-of-cab lights.
Wyoming-based Kenny Ziglar’s “Scrapin’ By” 2007 Pete 379, also a finalist in Interior, is completely custom with a number of parts built specifically for the unit. Many of the custom parts were made by Beger Industries out of Roseisle, Manitoba, including the grille, mirror lights, mirror brackets, IFTA bracket with light and more. The Weld Shop in Leavenworth, Kansas, made the visor, window chops, panels and pieces specifically for the truck. A&A Stainless built the step bars, breather bars and tank straps. Originally Viper Red, Ziglar modified it with an even brighter red.
Working Combo
From left: Dustin Ross’ 2000 Sterling AT9522, “Stella,” and 2019 Utility van; Joe Petrizzo’s 2003 Peterbilt 379 and 2021 Mac stepdeck; and John Treadway’s “Teal Appeal” 1998 Peterbilt 379 and 2017 Great Dane reefer.
Alabama-based Dustin Ross bought his 2000 Sterling AT9522, “Stella,” off of his father when he went solo as an owner-operator around 2011/2012. His father had owned it since 2006. He started customizing the unit a couple years later when he replaced the plastic dash with a fiberglass one and color-matched it to the truck. Through the years, he’s continued to add more, both inside and out. Because custom parts for a Sterling are near impossible to find, he’s adapted parts for other makes and models to make them fit. The unit is paired with a 2019 Utility dry van. The truck is equipped with a Cummins N14 Celect Plus and a 13 speed with 3.55 rears.
Joe Petrizzo, out of New Jersey, bought his 2003 Peterbilt 379 back in 2008 as a day cab to run sand and stone locally in and out of New York City and around New Jersey. After a few years of that, he stretched the unit to 290 inches and added a 36-inch sleeper at first, before replacing it with a 63-inch flattop later on. Paired with a 2021 Mac step deck, Petrizzo primarily hauls aluminum products and specialized machinery between the NYC/N.J. area to South Florida weekly.
Kokomo, Indiana-based John Treadway, also a finalist for Interior, rebuilt his 1998 Peterbilt 379 in 2021. He purchased his 2017 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic in 2017 and decided to rebuild the Peterbilt with the same paint scheme as the motorcycle. The build included replacing the factory exhaust with 8-inch Lincoln Chrome stacks, a 20-inch American Eagle bumper, Bad Ass Custom Truck Parts front fenders and Hogebuilt rear fenders, among many other custom touches. He repainted his 2017 Great Dane reefer this year to match the striping on the truck.
As noted, stay tuned for the awards finale later this month with details to come.
Meantime, read about past Pride & Polish winners via this link. Congrats again to this year's finalists, and thanks to everyone who entered their trucks this year. For those we haven't seen before, here's hoping we see you in person out at a show down the road!
