There’s no doubt about it: James White is a good neighbor. He can often be found around his Carthage, Texas, neighborhood, greeting neighbors, shopping for back-to-school items for local children or dropping some cash so teachers can supply their classrooms for the coming year.
Local children know to watch for White’s 2020 Freightliner parked near the home he shares with Ruby, his wife. He’s famous for cooking on his trailer-mounted grill, and for hosting well-attended barbecues and serving up Texas-size feasts of brisket, turnip greens and sweet potatoes.
He’s also an exceptional truck driver who was selected as one of the Truckload Carrier Association’s Professional Drivers of the Year for 2024. White received the award in March during the closing banquet of Truckload 2024, TCA’s annual convention held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
“We had a great time, and they treated us so good. It was wonderful,” White said about the convention. During the awards presentation, he took the stage along with four other winners, shaking hands and posing for photographs.
This was not the first time White has been honored for his work.
He’s a member of P&S Transportation’s 2 Million Mile Safe Driver Club as well as the company’s Legends Club. He’s been the carrier’s Independent Contractor of the Month, and he was honored as the 2022 Independent Contractor of the Year.
However, White is more concerned with helping others than with winning awards. In addition to the community cookouts he and Ruby host, he serves as a deacon and is a member of his local church’s financial committee, and he funds a student at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.
When asked about his plans for the $20,000 award he received from TCA and sponsors Cummins and Love’s Travel Stops, he said, “I’m holding on to it for when I’m ready to retire.”
Those who know him, however, can safely bet that some of that cash will be used to enrich someone else’s life.
“I like to help people, because I know how it is to be poor,” he explained. “If there’s somebody in need, I try to help them.”
White grew up in a small town in Louisiana, a place he still visits frequently. He also owns a small “farm” not far from his Texas home where, he says, he goes to hang out and listen to blues and old country music.
Three decades ago, he was employed at a sawmill — but he kept seeing television commercials for Diesel Driving Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. He had some experience operating heavy equipment, and decided it would be wise to learn another skill in case he ever needed a job.
“I went to the truck driver school for four months to get my CDL — and 29 years later, here I am,” he told Truckload Authority.
His first driving job was with Deaton Transport, which was soon acquired by Western Express. About that time, White says, Scott Smith and Robbie Pike founded P&S Transportation and leased on 20 owner-operators, White among them.
“I’ve been knowing the owner for 28 years,” he said. “And I’ve been with the same driver manager for 27 or 28 years.”
Stephanie Hampton, driver resource manager at P&S, describes White in glowing terms.
“James White has had an immeasurable positive impact in trucking,” she said. “James is a remarkable driver — a skilled and seasoned professional, and a trustworthy source of guidance for new drivers.
“But more than all this, James White is a friend to all, and he is the benchmark of excellent character,” she continued.
In the past five years, White has put over half a million miles (529,000, to be exact) on his 2020 Freightliner, and he says the truck is still running strong.
When asked what the future holds, White says he has no plans to stop driving any time soon.
“Right now, I feel real good,” he said. “I just passed my DOT physical and everything is working good — and I still love what I do.”
“He prioritizes safety with every decision he makes, and this has clearly taken him to the summit of his career,” Hampton shared. “We are honored and proud to know him and be a part of his exceptional career.”
When he’s home, White, whose own children are grown, enjoys a special bond with the youngsters in his neighborhood. In fact, he’s been “adopted” by two young girls who were worried about him walking home alone.
“I knew their grandmother. I was talking to her one day when it was getting dark,” he said. “They were riding their bicycles, and she called for them to come home.”
When he got ready to leave, however, the girls begged to “walk James home.” After receiving permission, they walked their friend home — and he drove the children back home in his Freightliner.
“We’ve been good friends ever since,” he said. “I love the kids, but when it comes time to go to bed, they gotta go back to their parents.”
Whether he’s driving his trusty Freightliner, feeding the neighborhood or just hanging out and listening to music, James White displays his character in all that he does.
This story originally appeared in the September/October 2024 edition of Truckload Authority, the official magazine of the Truckload Carriers Association.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
Thank you Mr. White, that is what makes it possible for this old lady to keep on driving those trucks!!