LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Team drivers Kenn and Beth Zelten and solo driver Steen Gronlund have been named Citizen Driver honorees by TravelCenters of America during a luncheon at the Mid-America Trucking Show here Friday.
The Citizen Driver honor recognizes professional drivers who help bring respect to the truck driving profession.
The Zeltons reside in Menominee, Michigan; Gronlund lives at Longmont, Colorado.
TravelCenters, which operates the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express travel center brands, launched the Citizen Driver program in 2013 in an effort to honor the many great, hardworking professional truck drivers that keep our economy going, according to Barry Richards, president and COO of TravelCenters.
Citizen Drivers not only have an exemplary career in trucking, they honor the great profession of truck driving by demonstrating their good citizenship, safety, community involvement, and leadership, he said.
Each driver honored in the program has a TA or Petro location named after them.
The 2019 Citizen Drivers are listed below. They will also be the recipients of individual banquets and unveiling ceremonies hosted by TA executives at their chosen locations.
The Zeltens have chosen the TA location in Zion, Illinois.
Gronlund has chosen the Laramie, Wyoming, Petro
Signs will be mounted at these locations and dedication ceremonies will take place soon.
With this group of honorees, there are now more than 30 TA or Petro Stopping Centers locations across the country dedicated to drivers to honor them and all professional truck drivers.
“Every year we get so many worthy nominations for this program,” Richards said. “We are proud of the image that these professionals and all our nominees exemplify on and off the road. Professional truck drivers play a critical role in moving our economy forward and we honor them through this program.”
TravelCenters accepted nominations for the 2019 Citizen Drivers from June until October 2018, and received entries from a wide variety of people—fleet owners and executives, other drivers, family members, trucking organization members, and trucking industry suppliers—who wanted to recognize the deserving drivers who have touched their lives.
Selected members of the trucking media served as judges. The judges review dossiers for the finalists for Citizen Drivers, and select professional drivers who demonstrate an exemplary, professional career and one balanced by volunteerism, good deeds and giving back. Nomination instructions for the 2020 Citizen Driver Awards will be posted in the near future.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
