Overdrive

November 2014

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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F or Jessica Samko, living life under the relentless cameras of a reality show means she's forced to hide her roots – literally. "One thing I have to do for the show is to make sure I keep my blonde hair colored and the highlights even so they look the same in every episode," she says with a laugh. "That's not so easy to do when you are on the road while filming an entire episode." Samko appeared in season six of the A&E network's "Shipping Wars," which concluded in August. She'll be in season seven, which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET, starting Nov. 18. Thanks to her appearance on the show, coming after winning a finalist spot in Overdrive's 2013 Most Beautiful contest, the Pennsylva- nia-based owner-operator has become one of trucking's most popular personal- ities this year. She's still getting used to being on the reality show and the attention that follows. "Sometimes people will recog- nize me at truck stops and ask me about the show," Samko says. "Truckers will recognize my truck and wave or blow their horn." Dubbed "The Road Warrior" on the show, Samko scrambles to outdo cast members by bidding to haul oversized, odd or outright bizarre loads. Though she drives a 2008 Volvo 780, most of the show's other contestants drive trucks lighter than Class 8, including pickups. The spotlight on smaller trucks and the gloss put on the dog-eat-dog freight-rate competition have prompted some Over- drive readers to criticize the show since its inception. Before being selected for the show, 38 | Overdrive | November 2014 'The Road Warrior' Owner-operator Jessica Samko, enlisted in a second tour of duty in the wild world of 'Shipping Wars,' finds herself one of the industry's new female celebrities. BY CAROLYN MASON Jessica Samko of Pennsylvania first came to prominence as a finalist in Overdrive's 2013 Most Beautiful contest. David McClymonds

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