Their latest, number 2,500, has been delivered and will be heading out on the road soon with their Driver of the Year Steve Alliger at the wheel.

Don Decker, president and chairman of the board, presented the truck Thursday.

“We got our first one in 1967,” he said.

That truck, restored, is still part of their fleet and still gets a few miles on it on special occasions.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Decker Truck Line Inc. President and Chairman of the Board Don Decker, center, holds a plaque from Peterbilt Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the company’s 2,500th purchase of a Peterbilt truck. The rig will be assigned to Driver of the Year Steve Alliger, at left with his wife Jean. Robert Woodall, Assistant General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Peterbilt, center and Eric Jorgensen, President of JX Enterprises, a Peterbilt dealership in Hartland, Wisconsin, is at right.

“We still have the first one,” he said. “This is the latest one.”

Alliger, of Lake City, said he’s happy and excited to be taking off in the new rig.

He’s been driving for the company for 22 years. During that time, he’s logged over 3 million miles.

Decker’s policy of providing amenities in the trucks such as satellite TV, microwaves and other comforts of home is appreciated by drivers like Alliger.

“We live in it,” he said.

The truck is ready to go — and so is Alliger.

“After the presentation,” he said. “As soon as my travel agent gets me a load.”

Decker praised his driver.

“We do it right,” he said. “Steve is the best of the best. Since he’s been driving here he has an impeccable record. It’s not just him we have to thank though, we have to thank his wife Jean.”

Jean Alliger was on hand to see her husband get his award and shared the story of how he learned he’d been in the 2,500th Peterbilt.

“Don called him and told him they’d just gotten the 2,500th truck,” she said. “Then he asked him, ‘Would you like to drive it?”

“I told him, ‘I hope you said yes,'” she said.

She too likes the new truck.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I love the red trucks.”

Robert Woodall, assistant general manager of sales and marketing for Peterbilt at the Denton, Texas headquarters, was on hand for the celebration, too.

He’s pretty sure Alliger will like the new truck.

“He’s going to be standing tall like he’s been doing most of his career,” Woodall said. “3.3 million miles is an accomplishment. You’re certainly the best of the best. They have some extremely talented and dedicated employees.”

Eric Jorgensen, president of JX Enterprises in Hartland, Wisconsin, is the dealership that sold Decker the truck.

“We’ve sold more to Decker than any other truck line,” Jorgensen said.

He loves the color scheme used.

“They’re awesome to see on the road,” he said. “There are other lines that use red and yellow, but they don’t look as good as these Peterbilts.”

Decker also runs trucks from other manufacturers, but a large portion of the company’s fleet is Peterbilt.