This month’s creations were built for Ben (41) and Beau (36) Hillius of Hillius Trucking in Carson, ND. Not only are these two men brothers, but together they make up Hillius Trucking. When they recently decided to order new Peterbilt trucks, they called me and did it together. And although these two trucks and these two brothers are very similar, they each have their own unique identity.
Married to Krystle for 10 years, she and Benjamin have two girls – Indie (6) and Nova (5). Beau is with Christy Anderson that has a daughter named Jayla (13). They both had been married in the past, but have now been together for a long while, and are very happy together. These two boys, along with a sister, Nicole, who is married with three kids, are the children of Tim and Rhonda Hillius. Unfortunately, Tim passed away in an accident in 2011, and is still missed by all today. Their mom recently retired from a bank, but she is not really good about slowing down, so she started a coffee shop in their town.
When growing up, Ben said his dad owned a meat shop called Dakota Country Meats, but he sold it right before Ben graduated. Their dad did a few odd jobs, but eventually decided on trucking for his next and last career. When Ben graduated, he went to work driving with his dad. The first truck his dad bought for him to drive was a day cab and the A/C didn’t work. After a summer of working construction and running locally, Ben told his dad, “The trucking thing is good, but we gotta get this A/C fixed!” Over the next few years, dad bought and sold some trucks, but Ben was okay with occasionally changing rigs.
Ben’s brother Beau graduated high school and then went to college for auto body tech. After graduating, reality set in that a town of 250 people doesn’t have a lot of opportunities for a body man, so a friend got him a job in Colorado working on oil rigs. The pay was great and, after you worked two weeks, you got two weeks off. After a couple years, Ben and his dad were really busy and needed help. In 2008, Beau moved back and started driving for the family business.
Starting out in a 2000 Pete 379 with a 48” flattop, Beau ran this truck for a couple years, and then they purchased a used 2009 Pete. After two engine overhauls and a bad head, they decided it needed to go, and replaced it with a 2018 glider. The brothers ran these two Peterbilts for a couple years, until they got the new trucks seen here.
Both of these guys said that their dad was a hard worker. He constantly told them, “Every day I can get up and go to work is a good day!” He also taught them that the possibilities were endless if they were willing to work, and that money didn’t grow on trees. He touched lives around him, and at his funeral, in a town of 250, close to 700 came to pay their respects. This reinforced the boy’s feelings about how special their dad was. The boys currently own two trucks, have 14 trailers, and have a great group of people that work with them.
When it came time to order new trucks, a friend gave them my number. They decided to order two new Peterbilts together. Ben was unsure on a color and was open to ideas, but Beau knew what he wanted, color wise, at least. These are the last of the old dash 389 Peterbilt 48” flattops. Powered by an X15 Cummins with an 18 speed, each of these trucks was fitted with a factory lift axle, and both are loaded up with all the good stuff.
The majority of the work on these trucks was done at NRC (No Rush Customs), while the paint department at KC Peterbilt did most of the paint work, along with a few other things. Ben’s got done first, and Beau’s was a little behind. Both made the trip out together to get their new rides, and both went to the park to do photos. I really like the way these two trucks turned out. They are very similar in a lot of ways, but each one has its own unique identity – just like these brothers!