TA & Petro honors five truckers as 2018 Citizen Drivers

WALCOTT, Iowa – For Ingrid Brown, being named a 2018 TA & Petro Citizen Driver is the culmination of years of hard work on the road.

“I’ve had lots of milestones. I’ve been so blessed. I never went looking for any award,” she said. “This one right here … it’s shown me that my success and my accomplishments have paid off because of hard work.”

An OOIDA member from Mountain Stone, Tenn., was one of five truckers to receive the prestigious honor from TravelCenters of America. Three of the five drivers honored in 2018 are women.

“It’s wonderful to be able to see the accomplishments of everyone around me,” she said. “Because it actually makes me realize that maybe I’m doing something right. Maybe, just maybe I’ve gotten where I am because I’ve done what they’ve done.”

About 100 people attended a ceremony to announce the 2018 Citizen Driver honorees on Tuesday night at the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum.

Barry Richards, president of TravelCenters of America, which operates TA & Petro Stopping Centers, said the impact of trucking on the average American is “largely unknown and underappreciated.”

The purpose of the Citizen Driver awards is to change that.

“Our wish is to show the public that truck driving is a profession to be respected as an essential service that attracts people of character and integrity,” Richards said.

The program launched in 2013 to honor hardworking, professional truckers. The award places a premium on being positive role models within their communities. Now in its fifth year, the Citizen Driver program seeks to exemplify the good in the trucking industry by honoring drivers with exemplary records of safety, leadership and public service.

Honorees get the TA or Petro of their choice renamed in their honor, complete with a full unveiling ceremony and celebration for their families and friends. A plaque recounting their stories and service is displayed in each facility.

In addition to Brown, these are the other 2018 Citizen Driver honorees:

• Roland Bolduc, East Longmeadow, Mass.
• OOIDA members Danny and Cindy George, Henderson, Colo.
• Carol Nixon, Buffalo, Mo.

Brown has chosen the Petro in Oklahoma City, Okla., to be renamed in her honor. Bolduc has selected the TA in Branford, Conn. The Georges have chosen the TA in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and Nixon will have the TA in North Bend, Wash., named in her honor.

The winners were selected from a field of 17 finalists. Nearly 70 drivers from the U.S. and Canada were nominated this past year.

Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA, was one of the seven judges.

The five-member class of 2018 Citizen Driver honorees brings the total number of winners to 31. Nominations for the 2019 Citizen Driver awards are expected to begin in June.