Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/535950
July 2015 | Overdrive | 57 TRUCKER TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS Speci cations are subject to change without notice. Detroit Diesel Corporation is registered to ISO 9001:2008. Copyright © 2015 Detroit Diesel Corporation. All rights reserved. Detroit ™ is a brand of Detroit Diesel Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company. DEMANDDETROIT.COM Engines, axles and a transmission all engineered and designed to work together as one. An entire powertrain built and backed by a single manufacturer for greater ef ciency and pro tability. That is the power and value of Detroit. ONLY DETROIT CAN DELIVER THIS LEVEL OF integration. Daimler Detroit_82574_Western Star Ad 4C_2.25"w x 9.5"h_1/3 Page_Non-Bleed Overdrive DET_82574_WesternStar_Overdrive.indd 1 4/10/15 4:44 PM Paul Marhoefer Song he submitted: His own "That's Why I Drink" About the song: "Someone told me once that you don't mess around with Mercer County, Ohio residents' religion, guns and alcohol. The county has a high consumption rate of beer but also very high church donations, and usually those two things don't happen at the same time." Paul Marhoefer, 55, of Losantville, Ind., pulls a reefer for Moeller Truck- ing and has more than 30 years of experience driving a truck – first in a straight truck and then, since 1987, a tractor-trailer. Driving has given him plenty of fodder for writing songs: "I get some of my ideas for songs from old drivers and sometimes from myself because I'm an old truck driver, too." He got into music when he was about 20. He learned to play guitar after seeing a Harry Chapin concert and thinking, "That's what I want to do." Marhoefer has taken a few breaks from trucking to work office jobs, but keeps coming back to the road. Paul Marhoefer and his wife, Denise, last year organized a group of investors to host Texas singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard at a concert in Hagerstown, Ind. Marhoefer was Hubbard's opening act. Don Whatley Song he submitted: His own "Tears of Pride" About the song: "All of my other songs are about the trucking life, but this song is special. I dedicated it to our military and their families, and it was part of a compilation that was sponsored by the USO and sent to the troops in Afghanistan." Don Whatley, 64, drives for Douglas Transportation of Mesquite, Texas. The 31-year veteran driver likes telling his life story set to country music. His wife, Carol, inspires most of his songs, and her favorite is "Honey Do," about all the chores waiting for him when he gets home. He also likes to tell funny stories between sets when he performs. Whatley was 12 when he was inspired to pick up the guitar and start writing songs after seeing the Beatles play on "The Ed Sullivan Show." "I was so impressed and have played music, written songs, played in bands and performed ever since," he says. Don Whatley self-released a studio album, "American Trucker," which features his original compositions. Photo by Lorri Markum