Whether it's from working with the right people or enjoying a comfortable retirement, those in trucking are lucky to be here, as shown in this week's Five Good Things.
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Taylor Swift gifts tour truck drivers $100,000 each
As global pop sensation Taylor Swift crossed the finish line of the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour, she thanked each of her 50-plus truck drivers with checks for $100,000.
“Her father was the one that actually presented the checks to our drivers,” Shomotion CEO Mike Scherkenbach told Today. “And he presented handwritten letters from Taylor. It’s incredible that they would take that time, and what it means to our staff to be recognized.”
The drivers and other workers were likely rocked by the “Shake It Off” singer’s generosity—fitting, as Swift’s concerts in Seattle last week literally measured on the Richter scale.
Driver wins lottery after announcing retirement, but still puts in last two weeks
“I told my wife there were three things in life I never thought I’d see happen: the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, getting a hole in one—that happened five years ago—and hitting the lottery, and now I’ve hit all three,” Bashaw said in a news release.
The former driver claimed his winnings in the form of a one-time $650,000 payment and finished his last two weeks at work without telling anyone about his good luck.
Bashaw said he plans to use some of the winnings to travel during his newfound retirement.
Women in trucking August 2023 member of the month commits to empowering trucking's next generation
The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced Vontyna Durham as its August 2023 member of the month. Durham is the founder and president of Xcelente Trucking and Logistics Training Services in Memphis, Tennessee.
Following in the footsteps of her cousin, Durham attended trucking school and obtained her CDL as the only woman in her class.
Now, with more than 18 years of driving under her belt, Durham is the first woman in Tennessee to establish a CDL apprenticeship program specifically developed for women, youth, and justice-involved individuals.
“I’m a game-changer, and I focus on making a difference and changing lives,” Durham said. “My goal is to show people that whether you have been homeless or have been incarcerated, you can still have a rewarding career. You could say I’m like the underground mother of the trucking industry.”
Durham’s commitment to the empowerment of the next generation sparked the development of the first-ever youth trucking dispatcher and CDL program. The program is available to individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 and provides mentorship, job shadowing, and advanced skill building. In 2022, she received the Leaders and Legends award by the City of Memphis for these efforts.
She's also a member of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program.
Durham encourages all women to have confidence in themselves and pursue a career in the trucking industry. “If you’re determined and you’ve decided this career path is what you want to do—just go for it. Set yourself up for success, stay focused, and accomplish your goals," she said.
ABF Freight driver saves woman from medical emergency
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named truck driver Scott Allen from Omaha, Nebraska, a Highway Angel for stopping to help a driver experiencing a medical emergency in an intersection. Allen drives for ABF Freight out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. ABF is a subsidiary of ArcBest (No. 29 on the FleetOwner 500: Top For-Hire fleets).
Allen was driving on his delivery route, in Columbus, Nebraska, in stop-and-go traffic when he noticed a Chevy Silverado moving inching along an intersection after the light turned green. Other motorists attempted to go around the moving vehicle.
“She was going three or five miles an hour,” Allen said. “I’m like, ‘There’s something wrong with this person’—I noticed she was leaned over the console in her truck.”
After parking off the road, he alerted other motorists while running to the car to see if he could help the woman in the vehicle. Another car also pulled over to help.
“There were dark tinted windows where you could barely see her, but when I looked through the windshield, I could see her leaning over the console, and I knew there was a medical emergency,” Allen said.
Allen believes that the young woman, in her 20s, was having some sort of seizure. He and another motorist were able to get her vehicle stopped and prevent it from being struck by other motorists. The woman in the vehicle didn’t know her name or where she was going. Allen dialed 911 and an ambulance was able to get the motorist the medical attention she needed.
“When you come across this and you see someone in danger, my nature is to stop and try to help them,” Allen said.
Navistar interns clean up in Chicago
As part of National Intern Day, 35 Navistar interns led a beach cleanup on July 27 at Lake Michigan in Chicago. Their collective effort resulted in the removal and disposal of 55 lb. of trash.
