Four finalists vie to be named trucking’s top rookie military veteran

The search for the top rookie military veteran truck driver of 2018 has been narrowed to four.

During August’s Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Fastport named the four finalists for the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence award, which includes the winner receiving a new Kenworth T680 Advantage with a 76-inch sleeper.

The final four:

• Mordaunt “Platt” Brabner, U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy, TMC Transportation
• Summar Hanks, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Xpress
• Quinton Ward, U.S. Army, Werner Enterprises
• Christopher Young, U.S. Army, Stevens Transport

“Kenworth is donating at T680 Advantage for the third consecutive year to acknowledge and thank our military veterans for their service,” Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director, said in a news release. “It is important for the trucking industry to continue its on-going efforts to provide support and career opportunities for our veterans.”

The award aims to encourage military veterans to make the transition into the trucking industry. To be nominated for the award, the driver must be a military veteran, a current CDL holder, an employee of a carrier that has pledged to hire veterans through TruckingTrack.org, and he or she must have been first employed as a truck driver between Jan. 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018.

After nominations were received, the list was narrowed to 10 finalists in July. At GATS, the list was narrowed again to four.

Video footage of the four finalists will be released on the Trucking Transition website in October, and the public will have the opportunity to vote until Nov. 1.

The winner, who will receive the truck valued at $155,000, will be announced Dec. 14 during a ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hall of Flags in Washington, D.C. The runner-ups will receive $10,000 each.

Gregg Softy won in 2017, and Troy Davidson won the inaugural award.