Overdrive

November 2018 | Overdrive | 49 Custom Rigs ReadeR Rigs High-flying W9 Brian Medeiros, owner of Medeiros Trucking, owns and operates this 2014 Kenworth W900. He's leased to Aviation Express, hauling jet engines mostly out of Miami to Seattle and back. The truck is powered by a 525-hp Cummins with an 18-speed and 3:36 rears and has a 270-inch wheelbase. Medeiros previously hauled cars for 30 years until he tore his rotator cuff and had to find different freight. Lighting up the night Bobby Laws of Des Moines, Iowa, hauls vari- ous commodities such as metal coils, medical equipment and more with this 2007 Peterbilt 379EXHD. The truck is powered by a Cat C15 and an Eaton-Fuller 13-speed. Laws is sponsored by Trux Accessories, which he says has helped him make the truck look like it does now. It has Trux Dual Revolution LEDs, a custom grille, a custom visor with Trux lights, a 20-inch American Eagle bumper and wood-grain floors. Great American Chrome_OVD1114_PG.indd 1 10/13/14 2:12 PM SHOW US YOUR RIG Reader Rigs submissions can be made online at overdriveonline. com/custom- rigs-gallery.

• Cover
• Mixed reactions to D.C. highway blockade.
• Pulse: Autonomous tech redefining “driver.”
• Confusion over proposed ELD exemption.
• Small fleet again scores special Kenworth.
• Three in four readers favor new Supreme Court justice.
• “New NAFTA” would allow cap on Mexican carriers.
• Rule to protect gliders appears in jeopardy.
• ATA takes fight over break laws to FMCSA.
• Criteria to suspend insolvent brokers proposed.
• Owner-operator per diem allowance rises.
• Memorial Run honors fallen firefighters.
• ’55 KW gets back to its roots.
• Bandit Series sees repeat champ.
• Reader Rigs: High-flying ’14 W9; ’14 W9 a heavy hauler; cross-country ’12 386; ’07 379 lights up the night; ’02 379 hauls glass.
• DIVERSIONS 4 State Trucks’ record convoy haul; trucking “Survivor.”
• EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT Headlamps.
• GEAR GUIDE Lights, tires, more.
• FLEET NEWS Werner opens new Illinois terminal.
• BETTER HEALTH Neck and back pain.
• CHANGING TIMES Failure to help drivers on the shoulder is a symptom of drivers’ loss of courtesy and pride.
• Case could clarify arbitration with fleets The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could have ramifications on contracts between fleets and owner-operators and lawsuits that arise from those contracts.
• Minnesota aims at moving targets Some rehabilitation of the state’s inspection program’s reputation may be under way via a shift toward mobile traffic enforcement and a willingness of officers to credit drivers’ professionalism.
• COVER STORY: Ode to the road Mandi Jo Pinheiro’s biggest passions, trucking and music, paid off when they converged and she won the annual Overdrive-Red Eye Radio Trucker Talent Search with her original tribute to highways and driver pride.
• Iconic line expands Kenworth’s new W990, featuring front-end design enhancements, cab upgrades and improved aerodynamics, becomes the latest addition to the venerable W900 lineup.
• Drive Test: Pete’s 567 Heritage blends classic, modern With its bling-heavy and blocky exterior, the vocational workhorse mixes classic Pete styling with modern comforts and efficiencies.