Transition Trucking award nomination deadline is Thursday, June 20

Nominations for this year’s Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence award must be submitted by Thursday, June 20.

To nominate a driver to be named “America’s top rookie military driver” by Fastport, Kenworth and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes initiative, visit transitiontrucking.org/nominate.

A Kenworth T680 with a 76-inch sleeper, factory-installed refrigerator, rotating work table, digital mirrors and more will be presented to the winner. This is the ninth consecutive year Kenworth is providing the grand prize.

“Through this program, I have seen how well the transportation industry and veterans can be successful together,” said Kyle Kimball, Kenworth’s director of marketing.

A panel of judges will determine the Transition Trucking winner, who must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a legal resident of the continental United States and a military veteran or current/former member of the National Guard or Reserves
• Must be a graduate of a PTDI-certified, NAPFTDS- or CVTA-member driver training school, with a valid CDL
• Must have been employed by any for-hire carrier or private fleet that has pledged to hire veterans
• Must have been hired as a CDL driver after Jan. 1, 2023

Semifinalists for this year’s award will be announced Aug. 1. The public voting portion will run Nov. 1-11. The winner will be announced at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 13.

According to the Transition Trucking website, one out of 10 professional truck drivers is a military veteran.

“The transportation industry goes beyond a military-friendly attitude to embody veteran-ready actions where the valuable skills and career experience obtained during active duty are a natural fit,” Fastport President Brad Bentley said.

Brandon Meredith, a U.S. Army Veteran and driver for Slay Transportation, was selected as the 2023 Transition Trucking winner.

“I’m truly humbled … I couldn’t have asked for a better year,” Meredith said after being named the 2023 winner. LL

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