A few weeks ago, the phone rang and I picked it up.

“Hello, this is (so and so) from (such and such) Pumping in (insert city and state here),’’ the male caller said. “I want to find out where to send a Classy Truck picture because I have this year’s winner parked in my yard.’’

“Well,’’ I replied, “you sound pretty confident in your rig’s chances, but there are a lot of pumpers who would probably take issue with you.’’

“Really? Like whom?” the incredulous caller said. “I’ll put my truck up against any of them.’’ Then he promised to send me the digital photo real soon and asked that I keep a page open for his winning truck.

I love Classy Truck owners and I love the feature. Service trucks are a great source of pride in this industry, and I had to chuckle at the thought of getting this gung-ho fella sitting around a conference table with the rest of 2009’s Classy Truck owners arguing over who has the best truck.

WINNING WAYS

What would each of these gearhead pumpers say is the feature that most defines a Classy Truck? For some, I’m sure it’s the big and beefy Peterbilt, Mack or Kenworth chassis that cradles their moneymaking vacuum equipment. Others might say a certain pump/tank configuration should play into our annual contest winner. Still other pumpers would subscribe the Pimp My Ride style of service vehicle, favoring the rig with the most chrome, glowing underbody lighting or wild custom interiors. We’ve seen it all — elaborate flame paint jobs, small tanks on big trucks, old-school restorations and new trucks fresh from the builder.

So how are the collection of monthly Classy Truck entries judged to choose the annual winner? The selection is based on the combination of a reader poll at the end of the year and an office vote of the crew here at Pumper. Some folks vote strictly on looks, others on functionality. Often the winner exhibits a combination of both a great paint job and carefully chosen components to build a truck that is both an effective promotional and working tool for its owner.

WHAT’S IN YOUR GARAGE?

I’d love to see more Classy Trucks join the competition. The next time you wash your rig at the end of a busy day, I invite you to snap a photo of the truck and send it to me at editor@pumper.com. In the e-mail, jot down the features that you think make your truck a Classy Truck.

Oftentimes, pumpers tell me they’ve always wanted to enter their rig in the Classy Truck contest, but busy schedules never seem to let them get around to it. I’d argue there’s no time like the present to take a few moments and put your truck up against the industry’s best. Like our confident caller said at the top of this column, you might have this year’s winner parked in your yard.