Mo. man keeps winning at truck 'beauty contest'

ROCK PORT, Mo. -- Curtis Christians sees paint as a more important quality than chrome to best the competition at national truck beauty contests.

The Rock Port, Mo., man won Best in Show in late June at the 25th annual Shell Rotella Superrigs event in Joplin, Mo.

It's the second time Christians has taken the honor since entering the competition. He earned $10,000, a photo in the company's 2008 Superrigs calendar and the respect of nearly 120 owner-operator truckers from the United States and Canada amid thousands of spectators.

A cash prize wasn't Christians' goal for the contest. Rather, it was the opportunity to appear with the 2005 Peterbilt tractor and 2005 Great Dane trailer combination among his peers.

"It's a real honor," he said of the calendar, which will feature a select group of 13 truckers.

Christians entered a 2000 Peterbilt in his first contest and the current vehicle in 2004 -- landing spots in Shell's 2001 and 2005 Superrigs calendars, respectively. The newer truck took Best of Show and first runner-up honors in 2004.

It's no easy feat to achieve fame in truck beauty, with contestants always striving for higher levels of creativity in their designs. Television shows on trucking help feed the interest.

"The competition was outlandish this year," Christians said. "I was amazed ... Ten years from now, it's hard to say."

To help capture judges' attention, he painted his truck in a preferred black-and-red combination. Black smokestacks, red flames and a Maltese cross were among the new features.

He admits to receiving negative attention from law enforcement apparently curious as to whether the truck's appearance might interfere with the requirements of traffic law.

"You laugh and go on" and try to be polite, Christians said of the encounters.

"You don't see many on the road like that," he said. "There's not many things on the truck that are stock."

And while chrome may be the main choice of decoration for some truckers, Christians doesn't view the material as a vital component for his entries. It's not uncommon to spend from $10,000 to $20,000 on chrome, he said.

"There's only a couple of different things I have to shine," he said.

Camaraderie is the major attraction of truck beauty contests, because the drivers typically have to leave their families behind.

"A lot of the trucker's life is on the phone," Christians said. The contest "is a little bit of recognition."

He credited his father, Dennis Christians, for lots of advice, and support from his mother, Beverly, and friend, Eric Davis, for his Superrigs success.

"It's a constant thing, keeping the truck in shape," he said. "You take care of the truck because it takes care of you."

His company, Dedicated Ride Inc., is expanding and boasts five trucks. Christians hauls pork out of the Midwest and brings in produce for Hy-Vee, grocery storyes on runs to and from California.

The Superrig contest completed its 25th year and is the pre-eminent event of its type in the nation. Christians also entered a truck competition held mid-month at Walcott, Iowa. A fellow driver defeated him there.

"He works his truck," he said. "That's what it's all about."