Liz Leon, a 60-year-old truck driver from Victorville, California, has been celebrated as the grand prize winner of Pilot Flying J’s 2024 Road Warrior award. This accolade honors her remarkable dedication to the trucking industry and her impeccable accident-free record, which comes with a $25,000 prize. “It was beyond my wildest dreams,” Leon expressed.
For seven years, Leon hesitated to pursue a trucking career, opting instead to work at a Toys R Us warehouse. Each year, the company offered select employees the chance to train for their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and each time, Leon held back. However, in her seventh year, she boldly declared to her husband, “I’m just gonna do it,” and embarked on her trucking journey without looking back.
Now a seasoned driver at 4Gen Logistics, Leon navigates California’s ports, traveling approximately 100,000 miles annually. Her initial foray into trucking was daunting; her first drive for Toys R Us took 10 hours without a cell phone or GPS, and she frequently received incorrect directions from clerks. Despite this challenging start, Leon found freedom and a reprieve from the repetitive warehouse routine. “I can go to the same port every single day for a month and it’s something different,” she shared.
Leon was nominated for the Road Warrior award by her daughter, Jessica Beasley, who highlighted Leon’s unwavering dedication to her roles as a driver, mother, and grandmother. “She can work so hard at her job and she is so dedicated, but she is also dedicated as a mother and a grandmother,” Beasley said tearfully. “She balances it all and is the matriarch of our family. I can’t think of anyone more deserving.”
Reflecting on her career, Leon noted that she was one of only four women drivers at Toys R Us when she started, often encountering skepticism from male colleagues. Yet, she now sees more women taking on driving roles and other positions at ports, some of whom seek her advice about entering the profession. Despite standing just 5-foot-3, her toughness and ambition have always shone through. “She’s so ambitious,” Beasley praised. “She just kept doing what she loved doing. She rose above and continued to do what she loves.”
Leon encourages more women to consider trucking, a career she wholeheartedly endorses. “If I could do it, they can do it,” she affirmed, echoing the sentiments of the Women In Trucking Association, which reports that women comprise about 12% of CDL holders. Her passion for trucking has even influenced her son, who now drives for Amazon and often seeks her counsel.
In addition to the grand prize, Leon received another $1,000 from the Pilot contest. She plans to use the funds for home improvements and possibly a vacation with her husband. Until then, she remains committed to the road, embodying the spirit and resilience of a true Road Warrior.
Source: Freightwaves
Image: Pilot Flying J
