Local trucker named driver of the year by national organization
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada — A Shelley man was named the 2021 Company Driver of the Year by the Truckload Carriers Association during an annual event in Las Vegas Tuesday.
Robert Howell drives for Doug Andrus Distributing and received $25,000 for his achievements.
The 2021 Owner Operator of the Year was presented to Glen Horack of Elkland, Missouri. He was also given $25,000.
The annual contests, sponsored by Love’s Travel Stops and Cummins Inc., recognize the top company drivers and owner-operators in the U.S. and Canada who provide reliable and safe truck transportation in moving the nation’s goods.
“To make it to this stage here tonight, each of the finalists had to possess an impeccable safety record, a relentless work ethic, and unbending commitment to their profession,” Love’s Travel Stops Vice President of Sales Jon Archard said of the company driver finalists. “However, they’re here for more than what they do, but equally for who they are as people, on the road, in their local communities and within their families.”
Howell got his start on the family farm at age 14 delivering potatoes from the field to a processor in an old Chevrolet 10-wheeler with a spud bed, according to a news release. He turns 60 this year and still enjoys what he does after 38 years and more than 5 million accident-free miles.
“Robbie has literally become the ‘poster child’ of the company and we frequently use him in our company advertising,” said Doug Andrus Distributing LLC’s CEO Clay Murdoch. “He is the most dedicated and consistent driver we have ever had. He has the truck driver life figured out.”
Each of the runners-up in both categories received checks for $2,500:
- Denny Cravener with Givens Transportation based in Chesapeake, Virginia
- Robert Cole with Ryder Systems, Inc. based in Miami, Florida
- Gene Houchin with Midwest Express LLC based in Grand Island, Nebraska
- Allen and Sandy Smith leased to National Carriers, Inc. based in Irving
To learn more about the contests or to nominate a deserving driver for the 2022 competition this Fall, visit www.truckload.org/DOY.