TravelCenters Bestows First ‘Citizen Driver’ Awards

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- TravelCenters of America LLC announced the winners of its inaugural "Citizen Driver" Awards, which recognize professional drivers who evoke respect for the truck-driving profession. Each winner will have the honor of having their favorite TA or Petro Stopping Center location named after them.

Listed along with their favorite location and what that location will now be called, the winners are:

• Henry Albert -- TA Laredo, Texas -- “Henry Albert Laredo Travel Center”
• Jimmy Ardis -- TA Manning, S.C. -- “Jimmy Ardis Manning Travel Center”
• Linda and Bob Caffee -- Petro N. Las Vegas -- “Linda and Bob Caffee North Las Vegas Stopping Center”
• Charley Endorf -- Petro York, Neb. -- “Charley Endorf York Stopping Center”
• Jerry Fritts -- Petro West Memphis, Ark. -- “Jerry Fritts West Memphis Stopping Center”
• Shawn Hubbard -- Petro Ontario, Calif. -- “Shawn Hubbard Ontario Stopping Center”
• Norman Knight -- TA Columbia, N.J. -- “Norman Knight Columbia Travel Center”

The Citizen Driver Awards program was launched in the spring of 2013 in an effort to honor the "great, hardworking professional truck drivers moving loads to keep our economy going," according to TravelCenters. Several members of the trucking industry, including representatives from the American Trucking Association and Truckload Carriers Association, judged the submitted nominations and selected the winners, which were announced during last week's Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville.

"There are more than 3 million truck drivers in the U.S.," said Tom O'Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters. "Their impact on the average American's life is largely unknown and underappreciated."

Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters of America LLC operates 249 full-service locations near interstate highways in 43 states.