Truck driver of the year speaks to SVCC trucking students
Published 9:25 am Friday, September 27, 2019
- Recent graduates of the SVCC Truck Driver Training program at Southside Virginia Community College are pictured, from left, John “JD” Daniels, instructor; Marcus Hayes, Danville; Cortez Mayo, Danville; Victor Starling, Gretna; John Davis, Red Oak; Kanesha Brandon, South Boston; Walter Wimbush, Danville; Eric Owen, Danville; Tim Kemp, Danville; Duncan Quicke, TDTS coordinator; Detra Carr, instructor; John Palmer, instructor; Dr. Quentin Johnson, president of SVCC and David Boye, guest speaker, driver for ABF, ATA Road Team captain and 2018 Driver of the Year for the Nation.
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The 2018 National Driver of the Year for the American Trucking Association (ATA) recently spoke to graduates of the Southside Virginia Community College Truck Driver Training Programs in Emporia and South Boston.
David Boyer, professional truck driver with ABF Freight and an America’s Road Team captain, offered words of advice to the recent local graduates just beginning their careers. Boyer has driven more than 5 million safe miles during his 47-year career. He regularly operates twin trailers, over the road between Wytheville and Memphis, Tennessee and drives an average of 150,000 miles per year.
Because of his distinction as driver of the year, he was invited to a White House event with President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Boyer described the thousands of great jobs available in trucking that he sees advertised on the highways of Virginia and Tennessee to President Trump at the meeting.
From a press release of the ATA, “David is a first-rate truck driver and representative of our industry, always jumping at a chance to talk about safety or share his trucking experiences with the motoring public,” said ATA EVP, Industry Affairs and COO Elisabeth Barna. “His commitment to the trucking industry, his family, and his company are as impressive as his safe driving record and we could not be more pleased that the selection committee chose David as the 2018 National Driver of the Year.”
Since opening the Training School in 1996, SVCC has enrolled almost 3,000 students.