One legend says that the truckers moving loads of chickens at night through small towns in the 1920s were often the victims of thieves. To help stop this problem, they started putting lanterns around their cargo – thus the name, chicken lights.

So the story goes, and in Reno, Nevada, during the AHTS Convention and Truck Show earlier this year, we were treated to some special displays of the true American chicken lights.

With the older classic trucks sporting the basic light setups from their respective eras, some new trucks operated by East Coast Wine Transportation from Healdsburg, California, showed off chicken lights with a modern touch.

Two Peterbilts with matching polished stainless wine tankers and seriously loud subwoofer stereos turned it on for all to see and appreciate.

The drivers’ attention to detail and obvious pride showed the best of the ‘Californian Dreaming’ style. The crowds were in awe. The standard has been set pretty high now, chickens or not.