Steen Gronlund and Elizabeth and Kenn Zelten have been named this year’s Citizen Drivers by TA/Petro. The three shared a stage at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, last week to accept the award. They were chosen from a field of 10 finalists, from more than 100 nominees.
They will have TA/Petro centers named after them.
Rodney Bresnahan, TA Petro’s executive vice president for retail operations, said that as it has in the previous five years, the Citizen Driver Award recognizes “the best of the best”. He said that over the years, the 31 honorees amassed 891 years of driving experience, have driven 87 million miles and saved six lives.
Gronlund has been driving for 49 years and has compiled 5.43 accident-free miles. After spending many years as an owner-operator running coast to coast he now is a company driver for Mile Hi Foods.
Kenn and Elizabeth Zelten have driven as a team for 30 years. They were company drivers briefly before becoming owner-operators. Today they are leased to Landstar.
The other finalists were:
- Jeff Baker, a driver for Crete Carrier Corporation from San Antonio, Texas
- Duane Donner, a driver for Walmart Transportation from Litchfield Park, Arizona
- Herschel Evans, a driver for Holland, Inc. from Bremen, Georgia
- David Henry, a driver for REK Express from Landmark, Manitoba, Canada
- James Kelly, a driver for Landstar BCO from Minden, Louisiana
- Dan Porter, a driver for Hyndman Transport of Acton, Ontario, Canada
- Jerry Seaman, a driver for NTA Trucking, LTD of Huron South Dakota
- Morris Sims, a driver for Crete Carrier Corporation from Madisonville, Tennessee