OOIDA member Jay Hosty among 2025 Citizen Drivers

At the 53rd Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., in March, OOIDA life member Jay Hosty was named one of this year’s Citizen Driver winners by the TravelCenters of America.

Michael Stuewe, senior vice president of fleet sales for TA, presented this year’s Citizen Driver awards at a special ceremony at the Kentucky Expo Center.

“It is a true privilege to recognize professional drivers who exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, safety and citizenship,” Stuewe said. “Their dedication extends far beyond the road – through community service and volunteering, they give back in meaningful ways, strengthening the communities they serve. It was a true honor to celebrate their hard work, generosity and unwavering impact.”

Hosty, of Diamondhead, Miss., previously served on the Association’s board of directors and has been driving professionally since 1980. He joined OOIDA in 1989 to be part of an organization that “worked hard on behalf of owner-operators like him,” he previously told Land Line.

Hosty was nominated for the Citizen Driver award by Landstar Vice President of Safety and Compliance Shelly Seaton, and he didn’t think much about winning until he was informed he was one of six finalists and needed to make his way to MATS.

“When I was asked if I was OK with being nominated, I said, ‘Well, if you think I deserve it,’” Hosty recounted. “I really don’t feel like I do that much, but apparently they felt different. It was a surprise. I didn’t think I’d have much of a chance to win. It’s a big honor; I never imagined this.”

The OOIDA Safe Driver Award, the Landstar Million Miler and Overdrive Magazine’s 2024 Trucker of the Year honor are among the accolades Hosty has earned throughout his career. He’s also involved with the American Truck Historical Society, St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund and TruckersFinalMile.org.

Adding the Citizen Driver award to that list adds a bit of a full-circle feel for Hosty and his wife, Katt.

“The truck stop in Slidell, La., that I’ve selected for my Citizen Driver dedication ceremony is the same one my wife and I used to sit at and take pictures of trucks before we were married – when we were 16 or 17 years old,” Hosty said. “Unfortunately, we lost a lot of those photos during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.”

But the memories remain for Hosty and his wife, who’s been a big part of his success in trucking, he added.

“I have to give a big kudos to my wife,” Hosty said. “We were married in 1981, and she’s been along the whole ride. It takes a special woman to be with someone who has to spend a lot of nights away from home. All the glory goes to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He’s No. 1 in my life and my dispatcher.”

Craig Daniels of Columbus, Ga., and Darryl Tolle of Cynthiana, Ky., were also selected as 2025 Citizen Drivers.

Daniels, an Army veteran, drives a Patriot Fleet truck for Crete Carrier and is a member of the company’s Driver Accident Review Board. He founded a veteran suicide awareness campaign, designing a trucker hat to raise awareness of the project. The initiative aids severely wounded military personnel and the families of service members killed in action.

Tolle has driven for Ryder System Inc. for more than three decades. He also has more than 32 years of service with the Kentucky Army National Guard, supporting numerous disaster relief efforts. He received the CVSA International Driver Excellence Award in 2024 and was named Ryder’s SCS Driver of the Year in 2023.

A plaque denoting the Citizen Driver achievement will be displayed at a TA, TA Express or Petro Stopping Center of the recipients’ choosing, where a dedication ceremony will take place. Additionally, a $2,500 donation will be made to the charity of each winner’s choice.

According to TA’s Citizen Driver website, this program puts a spotlight on some of today’s most extraordinary drivers and illustrates the fine examples of professionalism embedded in the truck driving profession.

Winners are selected by a panel of trucking professionals.

Since the award was established in 2013, several OOIDA members have been honored with this distinction.

Last year’s winners were also honored at MATS.

2025 Citizen Driver judges

Dave Nemo, on-air host of the Radio Nemo Show on Sirius XM’s Road Dog Trucking Network
Ellen Voie, former CEO of Women in Trucking
Lindsay Lawler, Nashville recording artist and co-host of Sirius XM’s Radio Nemo, as well as writer/vocalist of the Citizen Driver theme song, “I Drive”
Donna Kennedy, executive director of the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund
Jenny Fall, director of driver engagement for Women in Trucking
Cynthia Atwood, vice president of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association
Steve Newmark, president of Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing
Andrew Evans, vice president of marketing for the National Association of Truck Stop Owners (Natso)
Dave Johnson, CEO of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)

More information about the Citizen Driver program is available at TA-Petro.com. LL