Finalists for Women in Trucking Driver of the Year award announced

The finalists for the second annual Women in Trucking Association Driver of the Year Award have been named.

Carmen Anderson, a company driver for Green Bay, Wis.-based America’s Service Line LLC, has logged 2.5 million safe-driving miles.

In 2019, she won the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association Driver of the Year, the first woman to be named the sole recipient. She serves on the organizing committee for the South Dakota Special Olympics and was named one of the WIT Top Women to Watch in Transportation in 2021. Anderson, who was a finalist in 2020, is a life member of WIT and OOIDA.

“It would be quite an honor,” Anderson said in a phone interview with Land Line Now Senior Correspondent Scott Thompson. “It’s a great opportunity to support more women in trucking and the support system they really do need. Women have different needs as an over-the-road driver. ”

Ingrid Brown, an independent owner-operator for Rolling B LLC and company driver for Fleenor Bros. Enterprises in Carthage, Mo., has more than 40 years of professional driving experience with more than 4 million crash-free miles.

She has been named the NASTC Woman Driver of the Year (2015), a TA & Petro Citizen Driver honoree (2018) and to the St. Christopher’s Fund driver council. Brown, an OOIDA member, also participated in the FMCSA 2020 Trucking Safety Summit.

“My biggest thing is promoting the safety aspect of it,” Brown told Thompson. “I’ll continue what my whole life in this industry has been, over 41 years, and that’s trying to use what the industry has given me. It’s given me such a fulfillment in life. I’m actually the one who’s receiving the biggest blessing of all.”

 Nikki Weaver has completed over 2 million crash-free miles throughout her 19 years as a professional driver.

Currently a company driver for Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Freight, Weaver is a two-time winner of the Bravo Zulu Award and has served as America’s Road Team Captain since 2019. Weaver was also a finalist for the Luella Bates Award and is an advocate for Truckers Against Trafficking.

The 2021 winner will be announced April 27 and awarded a plaque and commemorative ring.

“Given the difficulties of this past year, it is especially important to recognize these outstanding and essential professionals who keep our country moving,” said Ellen Voie, president and CEO, WIT. “These women have proven safety records and are truly making a difference in the industry and in their communities.”

Sponsored by Walmart Transportation, the award recognizes outstanding female professional drivers who lead the industry in safety standards while actively enhancing the public image of the trucking industry.

“Women in Trucking’s Driver of the Year award recognizes and helps empower women who are making an impact across the industry,” said Ryan McDaniel, vice president of Walmart Transportation and a Women in Trucking board member. “Walmart is pleased to sponsor this award as part of our work with Women In Trucking to help advance women within transportation. Congratulations to the finalists.”
The judging panel includes: Tricia Tullis of Walmart Transportation; Jeana Hysell of J.J. Keller & Associates Inc.; talk radio host Tim Ridley; and Ellen Voie, WIT President and CEO.

Women In Trucking Inc. is a nonprofit association established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as 17% of its members are men who support the mission. LL