Wisconsin Driver Wins $29 Million
Truck driver Steve Peot of Green Bay, Wis., bought the winning lottery ticket in his home state on Sept. 5. “This really is unbelievable,” Peot told Powerball officials. Peot, 45, presented the Wisconsin Lottery with the only winning ticket from the $29.1 million drawing. Peot purchased the ticket at a Superstore in De Pere.
Peot chose the jackpot’s cash option lump sum payment of $13.7 million.
Peot is married with two teenage children and another child on the way. He says he intends to continue living in Green Bay.
Peot is the second trucker to win big this year. Ed Nabors of Rocky Face, Ga., brought home $80 million after taxes in March after playing the lottery there.
Con-way Receives Freedom Award
Con-way Inc. has won the “Freedom Award” – the highest recognition bestowed by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a U.S. Department of Defense organization promoting cooperation between the National Guard and Reserve and civilian employers.
Douglas Stotlar, president and CEO of the San Mateo, Calif.-based company, accepted the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award at a ceremony Sept. 12 in Washington, D.C. Con-way was one of more than 1,000 companies nominated for the award.
The Freedom Award is given to employers who have shown exemplary support of employees who also serve in the Guard and reserves. To be considered for the award, companies must be nominated by employees active in the Guard or reserves.
Con-way’s nomination came from Michael McAllister, a Con-way Freight operations supervisor. A veteran of the Iraq conflict, McAllister is a member of the Indiana National Guard and is deployed with its premobilization training and assistance element.
Con-way offers its employee soldiers pay differentials and uninterrupted health benefits for their families. During the past year, the company has paid more than $200,000 in differential compensation to its deployed employees.
Roadway 3-Million-Mile Driver
Roadway driver Al Adams has achieved 3 million miles logged without a preventable accident. The 59-year-old has been with Roadway for 35 years.
He is a long-haul driver working out of the Roadway service center in Copley, Ohio, and a member of Local 24 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Adams is a 2007-’08 America’s Road Team Captain, is a member of the Roadway Road Team, and was the 2003 Driver of the Year for the Ohio Trucking Association.
ATA National Driver of the Year
UPS Freight driver William Gray Jr. of Cumberland, Md., has been named the American Trucking Associations’ 2007 National Truck Driver of the Year. The announcement came Sept. 21 at the ATA Safety and Loss Prevention Management Council’s Fall Conference in Pittsburgh.
Gray has driven more than 2.7 million accident-free miles in his 28-year career. He has taught safe driving techniques to teens and senior citizens, been a member of Maryland’s Allegany County Highway Safety Coalition, competed in both state and national truck driving championships and participated in many charitable events. Gray also has served as a youth league coach, commissioner and volunteer in both softball and basketball.
Gray also was to be recognized at the annual ATA Management Conference and Exhibition, Oct. 20-23 in Orlando, Fla.
Schneider Honors 32 Carriers
Schneider Logistics and Schneider National Inc. hosted their fifth annual Carrier Recognition Conference in Green Bay, Wis., on Sept. 11. Logistics presented Carrier of the Year awards to 15 different service providers. Schneider Logistics’ transportation management division awarded the distinction to nine carriers.
Among the 2007 award winners:
AAA Cooper Transportation, Cross Country Courier, FedEx Freight System, FirstExpress Inc., Go To Transport, Heartland Express, J.B. Hunt Transport, Landstar Ranger, Lanter Delivery Systems, Light Express, Merchants’ Forwarding Co., Roadlink USA Midwest, TC & Sons Trucking, Triple Crown Services and TST Overland Express won Logistics Carriers of the Year awards.
A.N. Webber Inc., Carroll Fulmer Logistics Corporation, De Porto Transport Inc., Metropolitan Trucking, Superb Trucking, Tango Transport, Transportation with Knowledge, Trico Trucking LLC and Wentling Transportation won Management Carriers of the Year awards.
Dart Honors Million Milers
Dart Transit Co. awarded seven independent contractors with National Safety Council Million Mile Awards. The awards are given to professional drivers who drive a million or more miles without an accident. Herb Rauschnot was awarded the 4 Million Mile Award. Pat Rauschnot received the 3 Million Mile Award. Al Beck, Carol Ann Schlussler and Melissa Owens received 2 Million Mile Awards. Ed Mead and Junior Neville received 1 Million Mile Awards.
Maine July Driver Honor
Pottles Transportation driver Robert Sousa, a 10 year-veteran, has been chosen as the Maine Motor Transport Association’s July Driver of the Month. Sousa has logged more than 1 million accident-free miles with Pottles. He attributes much of his success in trucking to the understanding and support he has received from his family, especially that of his wife of 37 years, Cindy.
Bay & Bay Acquires D&T Trucking
Bay & Bay Transportation, a national transportation and logistics company, has purchased D&T Trucking Co. of Little Canada, a northern suburb of St. Paul, Minn. The family-owned business has specialized in reefer and dry freight transportation since 1959. The acquisition, terms of which were not disclosed, includes D&T’s brokerage company, Virtual Transportation.
CFI Drivers of the Month
CFI has announced its Drivers of the Month for July 2007. They are:
- George Darko, company driver. He started driving for CFI in 2005 and has driven more than 340,000 miles.
- Steven Salter and Susan Bolin, company team. They both began driving for CFI in 2004 and have driven more than 730,000 miles together.
- Marvin Peck, contractor driver. He began his career with CFI in 1984 and has driven more than 730,000 miles.
- Roger Bolan and Ray Poland, contractor team. They began their careers at CFI in 1995 and 1998, respectively, and have driven more than 2.2 million miles combined.
3-Million-Mile Drivers
CFI also honored three of its drivers – Charles Beaty, Jon Smith and Larry Trexler – for traveling 3 million miles. Including these three honorees, only eight drivers in CFI’s history have reached this career milestone.
The three drivers have a combined total of more than 90 years of professional driving experience, 77 of those with CFI.
Beaty, who resides in Seneca, Mo., has been a CFI driver since 1981 and has driven professionally for 36 years. Smith, a Joplin, Mo., resident, began his career with CFI in 1984. Trexler, a professional truck driver for 38 years, has been with CFI since 1979 and lives in Rockwell, N.C.
