Three talented truckers will have the opportunity to prove they are more than a pair of steady hands on the wheel of their big rig during the Great American Trucking Show (GATS), which opens in Dallas at noon Thursday at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
Those lucky truckers – Jennie Simpson, Brad James and Keith Sampson – will compete at GATS in the finals of the Overdrive and Red Eye Radio Trucker Talent Search sponsored by Delo. The sing-off will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at the Red Eye Radio Lobby Booth.
For a sneak preview of these performers, check their video submissions. Sampson sings “Boys ‘Round Here” and Simpson performs “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses.” James sings “Detention (You Ordered It, You Unload It),” his rewritten version of Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay.”
And, if that weren’t enough, check out these other GATS-tastic highlights of the show:
Meet Hollywood stuntman Mike Ryan, who has appeared in TV shows, as well as on the silver screen in Training Day, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6. He also races in the Champ Truck World Series.
Attend Overdrive’s Partners in Business workshops. On Friday at 2 p.m. learn from the folks at ATBS, nation’s largest owner-operator financial services provider. Then, on Saturday at 1 p.m. hear from Kevin Rutherford, trucking radio host and small fleet owner.
Meet country music stars at Red Eye Radio Network’s lobby booth. Lee Ann Womack, John King, Zane Williams and Tony Justice will be signing autographs at the booth. As a bonus, Captain Edgar Hansen, Chief Engineer/Deck Boss on the Discovery Channel’s The Deadliest Catch will also be visiting at the RER booth.
Chat with potential employers at the Recruiting Pavilion sponsored by Werner Enterprises. More than 100 companies will be there.
And, there will be trucks. Lots of trucks. Almost 80 custom rigs will be on display. At 5 p.m. Saturday you can catch a glimpse of some of the best when they go on parade.
Show hours are:
Thursday noon to 5 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
