Imagine this: You’re standing on stage before countless colleagues at an industry event. The lights are blinding yet warming as you wait with a racing heart to find out if you’ve won a new truck.

You and your fellow finalists stand side-by-side in front of a series of boxes as the audience is invited to count down from 10 to the big reveal.

You keep your hands on each side of your box, waiting in anticipation as the numbers decrease toward that moment when you lift your box to discover a set of keys sitting beneath.

You clap a hand over your mouth in excitement and shock before holding the keys up in triumph.

Such was the scene for Peter Perez in late August when he won Landstar’s 2023 Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway. But the scene at the Reno, Nevada, hotel almost didn’t happen.

Betting on BCO Appreciation Days

When independent owner-operator and Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway winner Peter Perez first got the news he was one of the five finalists in the annual giveaway held during Landstar BCO Appreciation Days, he wasn’t sure if he should put his cards on the table.

At that time, Perez’s 2014 Freightliner Cascadia^® had been in the repair shop for three weeks because of a failing transmission. As a result, he hadn’t been on the road making money, thereby raising the stakes of being without a load for another two days if he chose to attend the event.

But if he was not present for the giveaway, he would no longer be eligible to win a brand-new truck. To attend or not to attend? Either choice could be a gamble.

“The funny part is that I wasn’t going to the event. I was stressed. I’d had my truck in the shop, and I thought, ‘I’ve got to work,’” Perez explains. “And then it started clicking that this was the truck that Landstar gives away every year.”

Plus, when he called Landstar to say that he might not come, he was reminded that he had a 20% chance of winning. That statistic was later echoed by event emcee and Vice President of BCO Retention Gregg Nelson on-stage at the event.

“That’s better odds than the lottery,” says Perez.

Specifically, Perez needed to beat the odds of four other finalists, all of whom were also chosen at
random: Mark Rosian, Afendi Haje, Smail Catic and Joseph Narcisse.

Ultimately, he decided to go all in and, fortunately for him, luck was on his side that night.

On Aug. 29, the day after he picked up his truck from the shop, he won a new black cherry color 2024 Freightliner Cascadia^®, including the registration and fees.

“I thank my wife because she told me to come back to Landstar,” he says. Perez has leased with Landstar twice; he first left in 2011 and later returned in 2018 with his wife’s encouragement. “With the way that God moves things around, I’m just happy and thankful.”

Driven to Deliver

Landstar offers all eligible independent owner-operators leased to Landstar the ability to win the Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway by safely delivering loads throughout the entirety of the giveaway period.

As the giveaway reflects Landstar’s commitment to excellence in both safety and customer service,
BCOs can earn more entries by taking part in Landstar’s monthly Safety Thursday Conference Call, attending safety meetings and participating in other safety activities.

Once the entry period has ended, all the entries are pooled together, and a computerized random number generator selects the finalists.

“Landstar’s safety-first culture is upheld by its independent owner-operators, and we’re proud to celebrate deserving BCOs, like Peter Perez,” said Landstar President and CEO Jim Gattoni. “Congratulations, Peter. All of us here at Landstar hope you find continued success behind the wheel of your new truck!” 

Purchasing two new trucks to give away each year to eligible leased owner-operators has traditionally been a big part of the company’s show of appreciation.