Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/71813
roadside attractions An amazing Pete- built collection Adorning the walls of Uncle Pete's Truck Stop at I-40 and Sparta Pike in Lebanon, Tenn., is a collection of 4,875 coffee cups. And still counting, says owner "Uncle Pete" Norman. "Never bought one, but I've drank out of every one," he says. When Norman took over the business, "we had about six coffee cups" that weren't broken, he says, so an employee offered up some she'd been planning to sell. When they finally ordered new mugs, Norman adds, they set the old ones in window ledges. Drivers started asking if he was collecting coffee cups." "We're going after the Guinness World Record," Norman would reply. Customers took that seriously and brought cups to add. After 21 years, they line the upper parts of nearly every wall. "We have cups from 44 countries, every state and all U.S. islands and territories," says Norman. Jabin Bogan was detained April 19 by Mexican authorities after crossing into Juarez. 'Uncle Pete' Norman Uncle Pete's Truck Stop hosted Overdrive contributing editor Carolyn Magner's interview with trucking country singer Aaron Tippin (with his son, Tom), part of our sister magazine Truckers News' Celebrity Series. Scan the QR code to pull up the video on your smartphone. Otherwise, find it at youtube. com/overdrivemag. OUT OF SERVICE ON BOTH SIDES OF BORDER The weird case of Jabin Bogan — the U.S. driver who was arrested in Mexico while attempting to turn around at the border with his load of ammunition destined for Phoenix — got weirder in May. The U.S. DOT ordered Bogan's carrier, Texas-based Demco Express, to shut down after a safety investigation. The carrier's public CSA rankings were dismal: all but one above 97 out of a possible 100. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made note of 10 instances of Demco drivers operating without a CDL in the past year alone. Reactions to the news ranged from "no surprise" to applauding FMCSA for doing its job to notes of hope that drivers will continue to rally around Bogan, who faces a potential 30-year conviction for arms smuggling. See Page 75 for an update on Bogan's case, and search Bogan's name on OverdriveOnline.com for further coverage. When patriotism turns into 'trouble' Driver and military veteran David Ray Thornburg took matters into his own hands when he saw a barren flagpole at a truck stop in Denton, Texas, on Memorial Day. With his video camera trained on himself, Thornburg drove to a nearby Walmart, convinced managers to donate a flag, took it to the truck stop and climbed the flagpole to hang it. The truck stop ultimately took it down, citing private property concerns — the stop's operator saying he felt Thornburg was out to "make trouble," as reported WFAA in Houston. Find links to WFAA's report and Thornburg's vid in the May 30 entry on our Overdrive Extra staff blog: overdriveonline.com/overdrive-extra. 8 OVERDRIVE JULY 2012 Max Heine Todd Dills