Tim Taylor, a truck driver for FedEx Freight, and Gina and Steve Jones, team drivers for Werner, were crowned the newest TA Citizen Drivers during a ceremony at the Mid-America Trucking Show last week.
Taylor and the Joneses were among nine finalists for the 2024 Citizen Driver awards. Other finalists for the award were: Craig Daniels, Crete Carrier Corp.; Carmen Anderson, America's Service Line; owner-operators Daniel and Phyllis Snow, leased to Bennett Family of Companies; owner-operator James Murphy III, Murphy Bear Trucking; owner-operator Jay Hosty, leased to Landstar; Eric Stein, Werner; owner-operator Jason Bradley, leased to Landstar.
Debi Boffa, CEO of TravelCenters of America, said the finalists “embody safety, community involvement, leadership and citizenship.” Winners of the award get to select a TA, Petro or TA Express location to be dedicated in their name “to keep their story alive,” Boffa added. “We want to ensure every team member and guest is aware of their accomplishments.”
Boffa said the company received more than 140 submissions for the 2024 contest, noting that “all of the 2024 nominees are outstanding drivers who make a difference.” What set the nine finalists apart was the “extraordinary amount of time” they spend “outside of trucks helping others in their communities,” she added.
FedEx Freight driver Tim TaylorTravelCenters of America
He has more than 2.8 million safe driving miles and serves on his local safety committee, as well as the President’s Safety Team at FedEx Freight. He has received numerous awards during his career for his safety and performance behind the wheel.
Taylor is a driver/trainer with FedEx, mentoring new drivers. He also serves as a coach, offering advice to drivers to improve their skills and habits. In 2017, he was named an America’s Road Team Captain.
He averages between 100,000 and 150,000 miles a year, but still finds time outside of trucking to help others. He hosts a weekly podcast, where he interviews members of the trucking industry about the benefits of trucking.
Taylor is an active fundraiser for Safety Drive for a Cure, raising over $30,000 in the past seven years for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. He is also heavily involved in the church as a Sunday School teacher for 36 years, an Elder, and a mission field worker in Jamaica.
He has also prioritized a healthy lifestyle, losing over 50 pounds this past year. Always the mentor, he is now sharing his success by helping others in their weight loss journey.
Steve and Gina Jones, based in Peoria, Arizona, chose the TA in Tonopah, Arizona, to be dedicated in their names and Operation Noble Watchman as their charity of choice for a $2,500 donation.
Combined, the team driving couple have traveled more than 2.5 million miles accident-free. Steve served in the U.S. Army from 1998 to 2005, with one tour in Iraq. Gina had a successful career in retail management before joining Steve on the road at the age of 50 once her children were grown.
Werner Enterprises team drivers Steve and Gina JonesTravelCenters of America
The Joneses were selected for the honor of accompanying the delivery of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in 2023, transporting more than 14,000 ornaments, handmade by the people of West Virginia, and 84 companion Christmas trees.
They are involved with organizations that help veterans, children, and cancer research. Veterans causes include Helping Heroes Heal, Christmas Angel, Desert Devils at United Food Bank, Unforgotten Hero’s Ride and U.S. VETS, which provides more than 5,500 veterans and families with housing, counseling, career development and support. They also helped organize and execute a fundraiser for U.S. Vets of Phoenix to help homeless Vets. In addition, they participate in a program that provides toys to children in the foster care system, and as a cancer survivor, Gina raises money for breast cancer research and completed the Susan B. Komen 60-mile walk.
Be on the lookout this summer for the nomination period to open for the 2025 TA Citizen Driver contest.
