In every cowboy’s life, the goal is to get himself a good horse, a good loop, and a good woman. For Colt Strick (39), his good horse is a 2023 Kenworth W900L, his good loop is the lifestyle he built with it, and his good woman is his beautiful wife Murphy, who loves doing life alongside her hard-working man. Many say, “I’ll catch you on the flip side,” but for Colt and his truck, it has an entirely different meaning.
Born in February of 1984 in Broomfield, Colorado, Colt grew up knowing he wanted to be a cowboy. From a young age, he took root around horses and found his love for chicken lights and chrome, looking at models of 359s his dad built. After graduating from Idalia High School in 2002, Colt got his CDL and started hauling hay for a local company. For the next eight years, Colt hauled hay, liquid fertilizer, feed, grain, ran a water tanker in the oil fields, and even did some heavy hauling.
In 2010, Colt went back to hauling liquid fertilizer when he bought his first truck – a 2001 Peterbilt 379 that he got from his cousin. With that truck, he hauled cattle in Nebraska, a belly dump in North Dakota, then cows again. After a while, he sold the 379 for a Chevy pickup and a motorcycle, then headed to the White Horse Ranch in Fields, Oregon. Ten months later, on December 31, 2014, Colt retired and moved to a ranch in Nevada where he and Murphy got married two years later on April 22, 2016. During his stint as a buckaroo, Colt injured his back, so the newlyweds moved back to Colorado.
A close friend of Colt’s named Will Craig called him one day and asked for some help unloading sheep. In just a small amount of time, Will taught Colt everything he needed to know, and together they built Craig Transportation. Starting small, they had four drivers and hauled from San Angelo, Texas to New Jersey. Growing fast, in just four short years, the company went from having only four drivers to nine drivers!
With the help of Will’s build sheet, Colt is the proud owner of the custom 2023 Kenworth W900L seen here. This beautiful truck has a base paint called Iceland Green Effect, along with a “Colt custom” stripe in Woodfern Effect color, highlighted in Phantom Grey. This W9 has a 565 Cummins X15 motor with an 18-speed transmission, 3.23 rears, and a nice 290” wheelbase. This truck was built just the way Colt wanted it. All the custom detail work on “M$ney Down” was done by Midwest in Nebraska, from all the chrome to the accent lights, this rig sure is an eye catcher.
Taking a step into the interior, the dash is matched to the stripe, with that gorgeous Woodfern Effect color. The classic Kenworth button tuck interior has 628 chrome buttons and, back in the sleeper, a fold-down bunk hangs over the couch. On the dash are five auxiliary switches that operate his over-inflate rear suspension. Sahling Kenworth, located in Kearney, Nebraska, installed some Peterbilt style cab lights to change it up, along with dual revolution and hero lights. The beautiful Lincoln Chrome bumper sits just right with the 80:84 airbag suspension and radiates with green underglow lights. The visor and window chops by RoadWorks, along with added work from Iowa Customs, really piece this truck together nicely.
Sadly, with only 41,000 miles on the truck, it was rolled over in Kentucky, but thanks to the heavy duty Hogebuilt quarter fenders, they managed to hold the truck up and avoid more damage. This rollover wreck was where the name “M$ney Down” came from. Luckily, it was only in the shop for repairs for four months, then it was back on the road. In early 2023, Colt got his own authority and started Strick Express Livestock LLC, where he hauls sheep, goats, hogs, cows, and the occasional local harvest. His biggest motivation to go on his own was to have more time for his family.
Back in January 2023, when I was working at Cal Ranch, Colt stopped in to grab some wood shavings for his trailer and, luckily, I got to answer the radio call. When I stepped around the corner of the store, my eyes immediately fell on his beautiful truck. After we got the shavings loaded up, I had to sit and chat with him. Before I could mention that I was a contributor for 10-4, he started telling me about a conversation he had with a cashier at a truck stop in Beaver, Utah, where there is a 10-4 distribution rack – he was joking with her about getting in the magazine. Just two months later, he met me, and I got the honor of writing this story. Through our back and forth calls, we became good friends, and he gave me the ability to shoot something I’ve always wanted.
On July 8th, Colt flew me out to Stratton, Colorado, to take shots of a memorial convoy for his cousin, Kyle Malave. The turnout was amazing with 22 trucks, including members of the Kirk Fire Department that Kyle volunteered for. The convoy started in Stratton and went 22 miles to the fire station in Kirk, where a sound-off occurred in memory of Mr. Malave. Through some crazy stunts, like standing out of the sunroof, I was honored to shoot such a memorable event and would like to give thanks to everyone that came out and supported it. The hosts are planning a convoy and a possible truck show for him in the years to come to raise money for an ag-based scholarship for kids at the local school Kyle graduated from.
It is my very own honor to give thanks to a few people on behalf of Mr. Colt Strick. The “beautification expert” David Arntt for the amazing polish and paint work, Will and Kaylan Craig of Craig Transportation, Will Mercer, Clay Palfreyman, and 12 Ga. Customs for expediting the under cab light bar panels. But the biggest shout out goes to Murphy and their children for being supportive and loving though all the challenges the trucking industry brings to a family.
I’d like to give Colt a huge thanks for inviting me to be a small part of the memorial convoy and allowing me to take pictures of his truck (and write this article). I hope to make it to the convoy in 2024. So, in the meantime, keep her between the lines, and I’ll catch you on the flip side… no pun intended.
