Overdrive

DIVERSIONS 38 | Overdrive | June 2017 East Tennessee-based trucker and singer-songwriter Jason Lee Wilson – the Overdrive-Red Eye Radio 2016 Trucker Talent Search winner – made an appearance on Eric Harley's Red-Eye Radio show in April. There, he recalled the August 2016 contest where he and the two other com- peting truckers, Will Perry and Keith Snyder, built friendships that have led to further collaboration. Part of Wilson's winnings included a session at Dallas-based January Sound, sponsored by fuel effi ciency app provider Axle Out Pro. When Wilson set up the recording session late last year, he invited Perry and Snyder to participate, recording parts for Perry's tenor voice and Snyder's bass guitar behind his origi- nal "Roads I Have Taken." All three performers are featured in the song's music video. Hear more from Wilson's conversa- tion with Harley by searching "Music to Truck By" at OverdriveOnline. com to bring up our trucking-related podcast playlists. – Todd Dills Fans of perhaps the most classic trucking fi lm of all time, "Smokey & the Bandit," no doubt will recall the sequence of events that led actor Burt Reynolds' Bandit character to the mo- ment depicted above – the jump over Mulberry Bridge. Hollywood stunt driver Oliver Keller and a variety of support staff are working on re-cre- ating the jump as part of the 40th anniversary of the 1977 fi lm's release. On June 24 in Jonesboro, Geor- gia, Keller and company will join spectators near the end of the annual Snowman's Run and Bandit Run fan events. The jump will take place a short distance from where the original stunt was fi lmed. In addition to his freight-hauling business, Murrieta, California-based owner-operator Tony Pennello is known for fi lm production and stunt work himself, and he alerted Over- drive to the event. Pennello says he was "asked to take the Bandit car and jump ramp from Los Angeles to Jonesboro." The event also is happening in tandem with a fund drive for the Dis- abled American Veterans nonprofi t. "I've been involved with a couple of fi lms with disabled vets, and I think it's a great thing," Pennello says. As the Bandit and Snowman runs meet in Jonesboro June 22-24, a mul- tiday event is being planned to fea- ture, among other things, a bus tour of fi lming sites, scene re-enactments, a trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a car show and trips around the track, and nightly social gatherings. If all goes according to plan, everything will culminate around the 150-foot car jump. Find more information on the Ban- dit Jump via BanditJump.com. Search "Bandit Run" and "Snowman's Run" at OverdriveOnline.com for more on those events. – Todd Dills Ears on? 'Bandit' bridge jump, take 2 Talent winner, finalists travel 'Roads' together From left, Trucker Talent Search 2016 finalists Jason Lee Wilson, Will Perry and Keith Snyder. Scan the QR to see all three in a music video for Wilson's "Roads I Have Taken," or search Wilson's name at OverdriveOnline.com. A re-creation of the bridge jump scene will be the highlight of events over three days celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Smokey & the Bandit."

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• CAT ON A GREASY FIFTH WHEEL Wendy Parker’s pet feline snaps and nearly ruins her new couches.
• BUSINESS: Uber enters freight-matching market “Uber for trucking,” a descriptor long touted by app-based load-matching services, has taken a literal form now that the ride-sharing giant last month unveiled its Uber Freight app. It’s aimed at the owner-op
• COVER STORY: Path to prosperity Overdrive’s Most Beautiful winner Stephanie Klang spreads the word of how trucking served as her ticket to the good life.
• Where the rubber meets the road A tire might look like a simple component – a round piece of rubber with a tread design – though it’s anything but.
• The crazy quilt of intrastate logging States failing to adopt an e-logging mandate. State hours of service differing from the federal rule. ELDs missing state-specific features. For the intrastate driver required to use e-logs, the change could get compl
• Diversions Re-creation of “Bandit” bridge jump set; Trucker Talent Search winner teams with fellow finalists; a new book from one of Overdrive’s own.
• The safety flaw of 14 straight hours.
• Pulse: Uber’s load plan.
• Bringing apnea experts into the truck.
• Indie truck stops remain popular.
• TSA warns of truck- ramming terrorism.
• Wireless roadside inspections hit brakes.
• Trailer emissions order in question.
• Florida, Texas rank highest for congestion costs.
• Car haulers’ touching tribute to police.
• Rethwisch wins Shell Rotella’s SuperRigs.
• Proffitt racks up Bandit Series wins.
• Custom KW’s interior gets a facelift.
• Reader Rigs: ’07 W900L a desert runner; ’05 9400i flying like an Eagle; ’15 389 has Pride and Class; ’09 389 a quad-axle Pete; ’14 389 has northern exposure; ’16 389 steps across borders.