Renegade provides custom-built units to local law enforcement agencies.

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HiSpec Wheel & Tire Inc.

Sometimes it takes a little some-thing extra to stand out in a crowd. If you don’t believe that, just ask Mike Akard, an avid racecar driver for ACTion Racing and Tennessee businessman. For Akard, his transport motorcoaches and trailers need to keep him organized and sharp on the racing scene.   

That’s why he’s been a customer of Renegade/Kibbi LLC since 2002. Akard uses his 32-foot motorcoach, 32-foot stacker trailer and 24-foot stacker trailer to travel the country to race. “We’re racing 12 to 18 weekends out of the year across the U.S.,” he notes. “We just end up staying in the motorcoach. It rides better than most Class-A motorcoaches, it has a lot more power and stops in a fraction of the distance that others do.           

“Renegade was the only company that built what we truly wanted and they were open to ideas and design changes,” Akard adds. “We put a wish list together and they made it happen.”   

Renegade is an original equipment manufacturer of specialty vehicles and trailers, as well as an up-fitter for custom-designed interiors on many other OEM vehicles, including custom motorhomes, sportdecks, mobile garage units, custom car transport trailers and mobile command communication vehicles, Marketing Manager Kyle McKibbin explains. Headquartered in Bristol, Ind., the company was founded in 1997 by Kyle’s father, Chuck McKibbin.

As the story goes, Chuck and his crew were banned from showing a unit at the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s National Convention in 1997 because they were not members. Instead, the crew displayed the motorcoach they manufactured in the parking lot and deemed themselves “renegades.” The name stuck, and the company has grown to employ approximately 105 people and has built more than 4,000 specialty motorized vehicles and custom trailers combined.   

In the last 10 years, the firm has evolved to provide customers with total turnkey solutions to their coach and trailer needs.

Labor-Intensive
The company operates two 110,000-plus-square-foot manufacturing and assembly plants. Each facility is dedicated to a specific platform – one for trailer production and one for motorized production. In addition, Renegade operates a 15,000-square-foot fabrication shop. It produces motorcoaches, trailers and specialty vehicles with thousands of available custom options.   

Renegade is one of the top manufacturers of FRP enclosed specialty trailers in the United States. Trailers and coach units are sold internationally through an internal network of dealers. Part of the uniqueness of its product is the heavy-duty commercial chassis that is used as the primary platform for the Renegade line. Chassis’ are manufactured by Freightliner and Volvo Motor Co.    

“What distinguishes us from the traditional RV manufacturer is that we build a totally different platform using commercial chassis,” McKibbin notes. “The advantage is versatility of design, performance and safety.   

“Customization is one of Renegade/Kibbi’s greatest competitive advantages,” he adds.    

At Renegade, a client can start from scratch, building the product from the ground-up. If a customer can dream it, Renegade can build it. “We don’t build just a trailer; we build to meet each buyer’s needs,” McKibbin says. “We are very unique in that we build trailers and motorcoaches that can be customized as a matching pair.”   

Along with a custom chassis and exterior paint jobs, the interiors are designed using AutoCad computer design software and are custom-built in a variety of lengths and sizes.    

Frequently requested custom features include high-end cabinetry, ramps, lifts, window openings, specialty furniture, wall treatments, HVAC systems and custom lighting.    

Akard says such advancements were not always the norm in the racing scene, but Renegade has made it possible to haul cars and equipment  and add convenience and comfort during travel.    

Because customization is such an important part of the Renegade business model, it must come up with fresh ideas to present to its customers. In 2007, Renegade/Kibbi introduced a new motorcoach line known as IKON.    

The IKON by Renegade is built on a 515-horsepower Freightliner Coronado chassis. This unit features a walk-through cab, leather furniture, quartz countertops, porcelain tile, a Maytag refrigerator, Whirlpool microwave, two-burner electric cooktop, KitchenAid dishwasher and disposal, washer and dryer, home entertainment system and an ad­vanced HVAC system.