Wyoming-based owner-operator Nichole "Nikki" Cheek showed her impressive 2008 Peterbilt 389 and accompanying 2024 Timpte Super Hopper at the 2023 Shell Rotella SuperRigs working truck show in Gillette, Wyoming. The rig picked up the third-place award in the Tractor-Trailer Division at the show.
At the time of the event (early June), the truck was just a couple of months out of the paint booth with a new scheme paying tribute to her father. Cheek kept with the truck's original black and white colors, but got rid of gold striping, of which she said she wasn't a fan.
"The heartbeat is my Pops," Cheek said. "Without him, I wouldn’t be where I’m at. This is my way of telling him 'thank you, I appreciate you, and I have you watching over me every day.'"Photos by Matt Cole
The paint scheme extends to the interior, with heartbeat accents on the doors and elsewhere.
On the dash, Cheek inverted the exterior colors and went with black with white marbling.
Owner-operator Cheek is leased to North Dakota-based North Country Logistics, hauling mostly livestock feed all over the U.S. (minus California) and into Canada. But she typically stays west of the Mississippi. "It’s not common for me to be caught on the East Coast, but it’s not a shocker to see me out there every once in a while," she said.
Her runs through mountainous states prompted a PDI tune to the Cummins engine, which now puts around 750 horsepower to the ground. "I run Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Washington," she said, "and I like to get through the mountains instead of spending all day trying to get through, especially running heavy." The motor is paired with a 13-speed transmission and 3.42 rears.
The brand-new 2024 Timpte Super Hopper features everything the company has to offer, she said.
The trailer is outfitted with electric slides, an electric tarp system, drop axle and more that she can control from a remote or her dash.
At SuperRigs, the truck showed off new steps, stacks, visor, new fenders on the drop axle and more.
As for the Herd bumper on the front end, Cheek said it was added because she "figured if we’re going to put that much money into [the truck], we’re going to protect it."
[Related: 1984 Kenworth W900B restomod still a workhorse]
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Nikki Cheek: My name is Nichole Cheek and everybody calls me Nikki. We're based out of Wyndmere, North Dakota, and I pull for North Country Logistics. It's a 389, 2008. I pull mainly a hopper. It has 1.86 million miles on it. We just had it painted this last year. It's fresh out of the paint shop by about two months. And I pull a 2024 hopper bottom from Timpte. And it's the newest trailer they've got, loaded with everything they've got. It's got vibrators, it has the electric slides, electric tarp, drop axle. I can control everything with the remote control or inside the dash. I can drop the axle with the dash or drop the airbags with the dash.
I run a 485 Cummins. We have a PDI tune on it. It pushes about 750 to the ground. It has a PDI turbo along with PDI injectors. And then we run a 13-speed with it. It does have 3.42 gears, and we run a 22.5 low-pros.
It's the original colors, minus the gold. I wasn't a huge fan of that color. But we went with the original white and black, and just went with a little bit different pin striping. The heartbeat is my Pops. Without him, I wouldn't be where I'm at, so this is my way of telling him thank you. I appreciate you. And I have you watching over me every day.
We redid all the steps, the stacks. The visor is new. We've redone the bumper, went with the Herd bumper. We figured if we're going to put that much money into it, we're going to protect it. We put new fenders on the drop axle on the truck. And then, inside, we've redone the floors, took out the carpet and put rubber mats down. And I took out all the wood vinyl and I replaced it with a vinyl wrap. I just basically took and inverted the black and white, and went black with the white marble. And then the heartbeat also continues inside.
