Big, Bold Western Star More Than Just Great Looks

Western Star 4900EX show truck is now on the road making its rounds on the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s Spirit of the American Trucker tour.

PORTLAND, OR— Getting folks on the web to agree on anything is nearly impossible, but that’s exactly how Western Star’s ‘Design Our Star’ show truck came into existence. 

The year-long campaign got over 16,000 votes from fans to select a truck model, engine, interior and exterior options and application.

And so the Western Star 4900EX show truck was born. The rig features a custom paint job, Ultra High Stratosphere Sleeper with high-end leather and “big and bold” chrome accessory package.

Its lucky driver? Boise, Idaho’s Jon Osburn, a former US Navy Hospital corpsman who served as a flight medic and paramedic with the United States Marine Corps. Also a 20-plus-year veteran driver, Osburn drove “The Merv”—a Medical Educational and Resource Vehicle that provides medical screenings for truckers.

Osburn said that the truck attracts a lot of attention wherever it goes.

“But the truck is more than just great looks – the Western Star is fantastic to drive, and the Detroit DD16 engine has already been achieving impressive performance. It’s an honor to be behind the wheel of such a fantastic truck,” Osburn said.

Truck driver Jon Osburn taking the Western Star 4900EX for a spin.

Heritage

Western Star trucks sprouted out of the Canadian wilderness and logging camps, which earned them a reputation as one tough rig.

They were originally manufactured in Western Canada, but were bought out by Daimler in 2000.

The Western Star 4900EX show truck is now on the road making its rounds on the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s Spirit of the American Trucker tour. The tour will make stops at truck shows, conferences and truck stops around the US.

Western Star brand manager Andy Johnson said that the 4900EX show truck represents everything that the Canadian-born truck company’s fans love.

“Bold, custom features combined with a powerful truck,” Johnson said. “We’re so pleased to partner with Jon and OOIDA to bring the Spirit of the American Trucker tour trailer on the road to promote the business of trucking.”

The Spirit of the American Trucker Tour runs from May 29 to July 7. For more information, visit the tour’s website


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