The Goodyear Rubber & Tire Company recently announced it seeks nominations for the 2020-2021 Highway Hero Award to honor a truck driver who acted bravely and selflessly.
The Goodyear Highway Hero award program began in 1983 and honored West Virginia’s Ronnie Stapleton that year. Stapleton reportedly extricated two unconscious people from a burning vehicle by using his bare hands to tear off the back door and break through the vehicle’s rear seat. The professional trucker worked hauling explosives for a paycheck and spread the Word as a preacher.
Many of the amazing trucking stories involve selfless bravery and good works. Alabama trucker Curt Jones was honored in 1985 for raising awareness about missing children. He put large posters of missing youngsters and runaways on his trailer and organized a 10-truck convoy to engrain the issue in the public’s consciousness. During his off-duty hours, Jones visited schools and counseled troubled youth.
In 1992, Connie Cooper and Patrick Fee reportedly saved a woman from certain death by pulling her from the center lane of an interstate. The husband-and-wife trucking team dodged fast-moving traffic to reach the woman who had been attacked and thrown from an overpass.
These are the types of heroic efforts that truckers selflessly perform when circumstances require. The Goodyear Hero Awards shines a spotlight on everyday people who do extraordinary things even though their very lives are often put in harm’s way. Most recently, the country asked the women and men who haul 70 percent of all goods and materials to stay on the front lines during the height of the pandemic. Truckers answered the call at a time when fear and uncertainty shuttered many industries.
The nomination period runs through Dec. 31 and can be filed online by telling the person’s story in detail. Qualified nominees must work as full-time truck drivers in the U.S. or Canada and the act must have occurred during their work hours or while on the road. Qualifying incidents must have transpired between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 21, 2021. The winner will be announced early in 2022 and receive a cash prize and a vacation that includes attending the Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting in Orlando from March 8-11. Two deserving finalists will also receive prizes as well. For more information or to nominate a deserving truck driver, visit Goodyear Truck Tires.
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