Shell Rotella Super Rigs brings out the beautiful best in truckings brings out the beautiful best in trucking

Jul 29, 2019 at 08:34 AM CST
The lines of colorful and polished heavy-duty work trucks parked outside Trail’s Travel Center in southern Minnesota covered the gamut of freight hauling. But they shared a common theme: professional pride in trucking. Sure, the 37th annual Shell Rotella Super Rigs competition offered cash prizes in its beauty contest. Even without winning a category, every truck had a chance to be included in Shell’s annual calendar that adorns the walls of truck maintenance facilities and is a collector favorite. The owner-operators from 14 states and two Canadian provinces gathered just off Interstate 35 near Interstate 90 in Albert Lea, Minnesota fanatically keep their trucks pristine. “Have pride in your stuff and look good going down the road,” said Jay Palachuk, who drives a 1996 Kenworth W900L with 2.6 million miles. The truckers, many with families in tow for a mini-vacation, began arriving on July 25 outside the community of 18,000 residents named for Albert Miller Lea, a Confederate major in the Civil War. Lea surveyed the land that became the town for the U.S. Army in 1835 before joining the south.

Jul 29, 2019 at 08:34 AM CST

The lines of colorful and polished heavy-duty work trucks parked outside Trail’s Travel Center in southern Minnesota covered the gamut of freight hauling. But they shared a common theme: professional pride in trucking. Sure, the 37th annual Shell Rotella Super Rigs competition offered cash prizes in its beauty contest. Even without winning a category, every truck had a chance to be included in Shell’s annual calendar that adorns the walls of truck maintenance facilities and is a collector favorite. The owner-operators from 14 states and two Canadian provinces gathered just off Interstate 35 near Interstate 90 in Albert Lea, Minnesota fanatically keep their trucks pristine. “Have pride in your stuff and look good going down the road,” said Jay Palachuk, who drives a 1996 Kenworth W900L with 2.6 million miles. The truckers, many with families in tow for a mini-vacation, began arriving on July 25 outside the community of 18,000 residents named for Albert Miller Lea, a Confederate major in the Civil War. Lea surveyed the land that became the town for the U.S. Army in 1835 before joining the south.