Three company drivers have been chosen as finalists in a contest that recognizes military veterans who recently joined the trucking industry.
The top three finalists for this year’s Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence, contest program staged by the FASTPORT trucking T\track mentoring program are:
- Jimmy Reddell/U.S. Army, Army Reserves/Stevens Transport
- James Rose/U.S. Marines/PRIME Inc.
- Christopher Slindee/U.S. Army/Knight Transportation.
The announcement was made recently during a ceremony at the MHC RoadReady Center in Chillicothe, Ohio, following a recognition event and tour of the adjacent Kenworth Chillicothe manufacturing plant.
For the sixth consecutive year, Kenworth has teamed with the FASTPORT and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes Program to support “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence.”
Kenworth is again providing a T680 with a 76-inch sleeper to serve as the program’s award to this year’s overall winner. The T680 features the PACCAR Powertrain with PACCAR MX-13 engine, PACCAR TX-12 automated transmission, and PACCAR DX-40 tandem rear axles.
Other truck drivers in the contest’s top 10 are: Steven Brown/U.S. Navy/EPES Transport System; Lucresha Daniels/U.S. Navy/PRIME Inc.; Marcus Ellis/U.S. Air Force/Stevens Transport; Will Gamez/U.S. Army, National Guard/Roehl Transport; Scott McFadden/U.S. Navy/Melton Truck Lines; Brad Stonebraker/U.S. Army/Melton Truck Lines; and Justin Utt/U.S. Marine Corps Reserve/Swift Transportation.
To qualify for the award, drivers had to meet three eligibility requirements:
- Must have been active military or member of the National Guard or Reserve.
- Graduated from PTDI-certified, NAPFTDS or CVTA member driver training school, with a valid CDL
- First hired in a trucking position between January 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021.
A popular vote will take place online from Oct. 28 until Veteran’s Day Nov. 11. The winner will be determined by a selection committee and announced Dec. 17 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.