Two standout truckers were recently recognized for their excellence with the TravelCenters of America Citizen Driver award. During a special ceremony at the Mid-America Trucking Show, two individuals received this honor in recognition of their professional achievements and contribution to the industry.
After a rigorous selection process, William McNamee and Lamar Buckwalter were chosen to receive this honor. The two were among a total of 8 talented individuals from around the country who had been selected as finalists.
McNamee, a 32-year trucking veteran, currently driving for Carbon Express, was humbled to receive the award.
“It’s an honor to be amongst all the other Citizen Drivers that have come before me,” McNamee told Land Line. “It’s amazing to be part of this group.”
Honorees are given the opportunity to select a TA or Petro location to be dedicated in their honor as part of the award. McNamee chose the TA in Mount Vernon, IL as his travel center, saying it was close to home, he spends a lot of time there, and he considers the staff among friends.
After 26 years behind the wheel and over 4 million accident-free miles, Buckwalter, an owner-operator from Leola, PA said he had a delayed reaction to winning the award.
“Honestly, when I first got the email, I thought it was a scam,” he said.
When Buckwalter received an unfamiliar email requesting his personal information, he was understandably concerned that it could be a scam. TA uses a third party to perform background checks on potential Citizen Driver honorees, so the email incited some skepticism. It wasn’t until after he’d verified the award with TA that he realized it wasn’t a scam.
With all the initial uncertainty, he said the thrill of winning didn’t hit him until he was laying in his sleeper watching TV later that evening.
Buckwalter selected the Petro in Carlisle, PA to be dedicated in his honor. He also had an additional request regarding the dedication ceremony. He asked if it could take place on August 22, which marks the anniversary of the day he lost his grandfather who he says was the person he was closest with.
“A day that’s usually doom-and-gloom for me, I’m going to try to turn it into something positive,” Buckwalter said.
In addition to a travel center dedication TA will also make a $2,500 donation to a charitable organization of each winner’s choice.
“We began this program in 2013 with the intention of recognizing the professional drivers that keep our country moving,” said Barry Richards, TravelCenters of America president. “And over the past few years, the roughly 3.5 million truck drivers have taken on even greater importance in the lives of all Americans. … We want to show the public why truck driving needs to be respected as an essential service, and as a profession that attracts people of solid character and great integrity.”
The company has announced that they received a massive 150 nominations for this year’s award and are now inviting drivers to prepare for 2024 nominations which will open up in late summer.
Source: Land Line
