The title at the head of this story could well go to Landstar-leased owner-operator Dickie Penrod of Fayetteville, N.C. He spent most of his 16-17-year tenure with the 9,000-plus owner-operator fleet behind the wheel of a 1998 Peterbilt, he says, putting nearly 3 million miles on it before replacing it in 2014 with a Freightliner Cascadia. This past Saturday, he got another upgrade when he was the winner of a 2017 Western Star 5700 XE, the second truck Landstar has given one of its BCOs (“business capacity owners”) this year, an annual tradition.
At the BCO All-Stars event at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. (which honored new inductees in the company’s million, 2 million, and 3 million mile halls of fame, among other things), a final game-show-like process led to Penrod’s claiming the keys to the Western Star. (Catch detail and scenes from the giveaway event and a brief interview with Penrod in the video above.)

The red pearl Western Star comes equipped with a 14.8-liter Detroit DD15 and a Detroit DT12-DA-1650 Heavy Duty 12-speed direct drive automated manual transmission. The truck’s cab has a 68-inch Stratosphere High Roof, which Western Star touts as a testament to the truck’s versatility and comfort.
According to the truck maker, the 5700XE is designed with comfort, space and storage to spare. The cab is accented with cherry wood cabinets, closets and two moveable shelves. It features a 35-inch-wide, liftable lower bunk and foldable upper bunk. The cab also showcases a top-of-dash navigation prep, Bluetooth and microphone technologies, and an AM/FM/WB/SiriusXM radio with CD player.

Other scenes from the awards ceremony:

