Mary “Candy” Bass was recently honored with the Women in Trucking Association’s fourth annual Driver of the Year award, sponsored by Walmart. The professional driver at Transport Designs, Inc., earned this prestigious recognition for her hard work and dedication to truck driving excellence.
Bass was one of three finalists for the award. Joining them were Ally Cooper with Penske Logistics and Ann McFarland from Leonard’s Express- both professional drivers in their own right. It’s certainly an impressive feat to be shortlisted out of the pool of excellent contenders.
At the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, WIT held their annual Salute to Women Behind the Wheel event – honoring female professional drivers for their invaluable contributions and achievements within a traditionally male-dominated industry. The ceremony featured an announcement that hailed this year’s honoree, Mary “Candy” Bass.
After five decades of dedicated service, Bass has a career to be proud of. She’s racked up 6 million accident-free miles and received the TA Petro Citizen Driver award in 2016 for her exemplary citizenship, safety record, community involvement and leadership excellence. To further honor this impressive feat by one woman who blazed trails within the transport industry, Nashville now has The Candy Bass Travel Center at its local TA truck stop. Earlier this year she also received recognition from Redefining the Road, WIT’s official magazine, when she was named part of their Top Women to Watch list in 2023.
“Candy Bass has given extensively to the trucking profession, not only during her time on the road and commitment to safe driving, but through mentorship and her desire to be a guiding star for women at all stages of their careers,” said Jennifer Hedrick, president and CEO, WIT.
AT 78-years-young, Bass is a force to be reckoned with. She is still hitting the open roads of America and inspiring and mentoring women in the trucking industry. She humbly serves as a lifetime member of WIT and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. Furthermore, she’s dedicated her time to numerous charities like St Christopher Foundation, Hats for Heroes, Special Olympics Trucker Buddy, and Charities For Troops – showing that giving back can be achieved at any age.
The Driver of the Year award, sponsored by Walmart, recognizes professional women who are paving the way for safety and positive representation in trucking. Honorees set a standard for excellence that benefits both drivers and their industry at large.
The judging panel included Erin Bergman, director of talent acquisition at Walmart; Tim Ridley, talk radio show host; and Ellen Voie, founder, WIT.
Source: truckersnews
