Yeah, if you want to stay with a 40 grade and use a syn, go 5W40. Any of the name brands off the shelf are good and there is little to choose between them in terms of end result. The boutiques may be a step ahead of that.
Bear in mind that you won't get much of a return on investment unless you extend the oil change interval and that's not something you can always do (soot and fuel dilution often being the reasons for oil condemnation, not metals). If you go into the UOA section you can see mineral and syns with virtually the same results over the same period of time (shorter intervals). The only way the syn oil is paying you back is in a high performance situation where the engine is maxed out and you need the extra protection of a synthetic base stock, or over a longer interval where the syn can hold up longer. Still, it doesn't matter how good the oil is, once the soot load is high, the oil needs to go.
The one area where I think the change is merited, even at a "normal" interval, is cold weather performance (5W40 vs 15W40). Not sure "The Old Dominion" gets that cold, but you can be the judge. Fortunately, you can get some of the 5W40, Group III syns, like Rotella & others, at reasonable prices or on sale, so a careful shopper can have it both ways to an extent.