The National Truck Driver Appreciation Week was September 11^th-17^th, and to celebrate Driver Solutions announced a special contest in partnership with eGears to show recognition for all the great truckers out there.  We reached out to our Facebook, Twitter, and blog readers so we could learn about first-class truck drivers, the sacrifices they make, and how they help make a difference.

To show the nominees how much we appreciated them, we initially offered a $200 gift card toward the Ultimate Truck Driver Convenience Package.  This Wal-Mart gift card could be used on truck tools, a GPS, comfortable clothes, or whatever a truck driver needs. Last year we received over 30 entries in the contest and were very impressed with the response.  This year, we received a record breaking amount of over 75 entries! Nominations came in from parents, siblings, spouses, and friends and we truly enjoyed reading and sharing the stories about so many extraordinary truck drivers. 

Originally, we were only going to announce one winner from this contest, but choosing from 75 entries was just too hard! After receiving so many amazing entries, we decided to extend the contest, raise the prize amount to $250, and give not just one, but THREE drivers a chance at winning the grand prize.

This year we had so many great entries that it was extremely difficult choosing the winners. We decided to pick three grand prize winners and one honorable mention. To read all of the nominations from this year, take a look at our Truck Driver Appreciation posts.

Here are the winners from our Truck Driver Appreciation Contest:

Grand Prize Winner #1 ($250 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - CJ Rimmer

CJ provided us with one of the most creative entries this year. He skillfully expressed the representation of how the job of professional truck driving can be related to how the human body works. It is clear that CJ is proud of being a truck driver and works hard to make a good name for all truckers.

Grand Prize Winner #2 ($250 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - Roger Simmons

Roger had the most nominations with 11 entries! His family and friends put together a great list of reasons as to why Roger deserves the Ultimate Truck Driver Package. Check out just a few of the entries that were submitted on Roger’s behalf:

• Sharing Trucker
• A Truckers Life
• On the Road Again
• Shelves Would be Bare

Grand Prize Winner #3 ($250 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - Paul Deeter

Paul was nominated by his wife. Paul has overcome homelessness, taking care of sick family members, and making many sacrifices. He went through the Driver Solutions program and has been working with PAM Transport for over a year.

Honorable Mention ($100 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - Terry Zuber

Terry also received several nominations, showing that he is truly appreciated by his family and friends. In his 50’s, Terry recently went through Driver Solutions to start a trucking career. Here are just a few of the nominations Terry received:

• Terry is my Truck Driver!
• He Never Expected to Live His Dream of Being a Trucker…
• Sacrifice One for the Team

Truck Driver Appreciation Week may only last one week each year, but it’s clear that truckers are valued year round!