Texas Mom, Combat Veteran Wins 2022 Transition Trucking

A 15-year combat veteran was recently joined by her brother, 5-year-old daughter, and 85-year-old grandmother, to receive the 2022 Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. It was the extraordinary culmination of Ashley Leiva’s dedication to serving friends, family, and country.

The Texas mom put in two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan while in the U.S. Army before transitioning to driving truck. In 2021, Leiva returned to her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, after retiring from military service. She enrolled in transportation training at Del Mar College and earned her CDL. She is reportedly the first person to win the award after being nominated by a National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving School.

“This is certainly a very special moment for me. My mother inspired me to go into truck driving. She said driving a truck made her feel like she was on top of the world. It is an honor to receive the Transition Trucking award of the T680 Next Generation from among all the outstanding nominated veterans and fellow truck drivers,” Leiva reportedly said.

After losing her mother to cancer late in 2021, Ashley and her veteran truck driver brother, Johnny, took over their mother’s Leiva Trucking operation. The siblings have reportedly renamed it Noemi Trucking in her honor. The family-owned trucking operation hauls crude oil for Draco Energy in South Texas. Gulf of Mexico port oil exports have soared during 2022.

Ashley welled up in tears during the award ceremony and sees connections that her mother’s love continues to guide the family.

“My mother passed away on the 16th of February. We found out on December the 16th. We found out that my brother was having a little girl on the 16th, so all these days on the 16th, I think it’s a little bit of a sign,” Leiva reportedly said. “My mom’s truck that she had before is a T-680 Kenworth. The truck that we received is a T-680 Kenworth.”

The Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence program runners-up — Sean Adams (U.S. Navy, McElroy Truck Lines) and Dave Marihugh (U.S. Navy, Roehl Transport) — each received a check for $10,000. Other finalists include the following.