Tennessee Trucker Wins $120,000 Volvo Truck

29 March 1999
Tennessee Trucker Wins $120,000 Volvo Truck
               Winner Claims Truck in 'Best Drive' Sweepstakes

    LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 28 -- Volvo Trucks North America
Inc.'s "Best Drive in the Game II" sweepstakes, a seven-month, $3-million
promotion featuring its 1999 Super Bowl commercial, came to a spectacular
conclusion tonight at the Mid-America Trucking Show:  A trucker from
Hermitage, Tenn. won his choice of any truck Volvo makes.
(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990328/HSSU001 )

    Donald Pirtle, the grand prize winner, chose a $120,000 Volvo 770, the
company's premier over-the-road truck, after his name was drawn on stage
immediately prior to a concert by country stars Brooks & Dunn.  The concert,
sponsored by Volvo, closed out the trucking industry's largest annual trade
show.
    "It was unbelievable; you hear your name called and you just can't believe
it," Pirtle said moments after winning the truck, which will be built to his
specifications.
    As for the color of his new tractor, and the variety of options available
on the Volvo 770, such as a dinette table/PC work station, refrigerator, sink,
six-disc CD changer and nine-speaker audio system, Pirtle deferred to his
wife, Donna.  Along with their cat, Fidget, the two have criss-crossed the
country as a team, delivering cargo to all 48 states and Canada.  Donna
entered Donald in the "Best Drive in the Game II" sweepstakes while at a Petro
Stopping Center in El Paso, Texas.
    "Since she entered me in the contest, she has a lot of decisions to make
about this truck," Pirtle said.  "Thanks to her, we're here."
    Immediately after winning, Pirtle placed a call to his mother in
Hermitage.
    "Mom, I'm now the owner of a 770," he said, grinning.  He then had to
repeat himself.
    As they dreamed of obtaining one of the most spacious, luxurious
over-the-road trucks built, Donna Pirtle had only one concern.
    "There is one problem," she said with a pause.  "Our cat is going to get
lost in that huge truck."
    Pirtle was one of ten finalists whose "Best Drive in the Game II" game
card matched the winning number -- 770 -- shown during Volvo Trucks' 1999
Super Bowl commercial.  All other qualifiers received a laptop computer and
software, as well as a 12-month subscription to Park 'N View.  In addition,
the finalists each won an all-expense paid trip to Mid-America.
    "You're in the Volvo family now," Marc F. Gustafson, president and CEO of
Volvo Trucks North America, told Pirtle.  "We will do everything we can to
make sure that, as a new owner-operator, your business will be successful."
    The giveaway marked Volvo's commitment to trucking professionals.  By
focusing on the driver, both in manufacturing and in marketing, Volvo Trucks
is fast climbing the ranks of the trucking industry.  After research indicated
truck drivers watch the Super Bowl more than any other televised sporting
event, Volvo Trucks initiated the "Best Drive" promotion, which included a
commercial in each of the last two Super Bowls.
    The results are clear.  Over the last two years, Volvo has surged from
sixth to fourth place in U.S. retail sales, setting a company record of
30,000 units sold in 1998.
    In addition to the truck giveaway, Best Drive in the Game II offered
trucking professionals the chance to win trips to the 1999 Super Bowl,
big-screen television sets and stadium blankets.  It also included Volvo's
"This You Gotta See" Test Drive Tour of its VN Series, which traveled to
20 Petro Stopping Center Travel Plazas across the United States.  Petro
facilities were also the location for Super Bowl parties sponsored by Volvo
Trucks.
    Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. manufactures commercial trucks and
tractors, including the VN Series, Autocar and Xpeditor.  Since late 1996,
more than 40,000 Volvo VN Series trucks have been ordered and sold, half of
which have come from new accounts.
    The company leads the heavy-truck industry in the areas of safety research
and development, quality manufacturing processes and environmental care.  The
company also markets Volvo heavy-duty diesel engines and rear suspensions.
Headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., the company is an affiliate of Volvo Truck
Corporation, Gothenburg, Sweden.