There are many reasons a person might choose a career as a professional truck driver, but Gerald Rhoden, a 4-million-mile safe driver for Dallas-based Stevens Transport, has a unique story.
It all started nearly three decades ago.
“I was watching the television and saw some guys racing cars and Vipers,” Rhoden recalled. The show included clips of interviews with the drivers. “They were asked, ‘What’s your occupation?’”
“They said they were truckers,” he continued, adding that he wanted to know how they were able to buy the cars. “Back in those days — man, those cars were expensive.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Rhoden, who lives in Colorado, went to trucking school, earned his CDL and signed on with Stevens Transport. His goal? To buy one of those fancy cars and race.
Today, 28 years and nearly 5 million miles later, he’s still running for Stevens — and he’s still racing cars. Over the years, he’s earned a reputation as a solid driver trainer and mentor, accrued a wall full of awards and commanded the respect of all who work with him.
He’s also earned the title of TCA Professional Driver of the Year. During the association’s 2025 convention in Phoenix, he was one of five honorees.
“Gerald’s value to Stevens Transport cannot be overstated,” said Angela Horowitz, vice president of Stevens.
“His nearly 30-year career is marked by a flawless safety record — almost five million miles without a single recordable DOT accident or preventable service failure,” she continued. “As one of our most trusted driver trainers, he has mentored hundreds of new drivers, setting a standard of excellence and professionalism that strengthens our company’s future.”
Rhoden was nominated for the Truckload Carriers Association’s prestigious award by Laurie Jensen-Givens, Stevens’ driver relations manager. She provided a list of Rhoden’s accomplishments at Stevens: He’s trained over 200 new drivers for Stevens, earning the titles of Trainer of the Month twice and Contractor Trainer of the Year twice. He’s averaged more than 12,500 miles each month of his career at Stevens.
“I love working with Stevens,” Rhoden said. “They keep me motivated.”
Here’s another twist: Rhoden almost went to work for someone else. He originally committed to drive for a different carrier while in CDL school. However, a company recruiter piqued his interest by telling him that Stevens trucks were limited at 62 mph, compared to 55 mph for the other company.
“Those days, I was much younger,” Rhoden said with a chuckle. “I was just thinking about going faster down the road.”
But it was the freight lanes that convinced him to sign on with Stevens.
“They come out of Dallas to Colorado, and from there to the east coast and back to Dallas,” he said. “It was easy for me to get home to my family.”
Rhoden’s family includes a wife who travels with him to TCA events, and two children who are now grown and pursuing their own careers. He credits Stevens with his ability to spend meaningful time with his kids when they were younger.
“My son grew up with me,” he said. “I was able to go home, teach him to ride his bike and drive go-karts. I don’t skip a beat with my family.”
Today, Rhoden is teaching his grandchildren to drive go-karts.
His income through Stevens helped put his civil-engineer son and accountant daughter through college, and it helps the extended family stay connected today.
“Every year, I take the family to Europe or Jamaica for two or three weeks,” he said. “We have good quality time traveling together.”
He still loves those fast cars, too. He owns three race cars, including a Formula Volkswagen, a custom-built Peugeot 205 Silhouette and another car. He maintains a full shop in Jamaica where he restores older cars and maintains his racing fleet.
He’s constantly helping others, too, contributing his time, knowledge and, occasionally, financially.
“I’ll help less fortunate family members, people that I associated with as I came up. I find myself in a situation now where I’m pretty well off in a certain sense. So I reach back and help,” he said.
Since earning the title of TCA Professional Driver of the Year, Rhoden is busy representing the trucking industry in a new way. When he visited with Truckload Authority for this story, he was in Washington, D.C., taking part in TCA’s annual Call on Washington, September 29-30.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be meeting congresspeople and senators to talk about issues facing the trucking industry, like parking, government regulation and other problems that we have out here,” he said.
While his audience might be a little larger than in the past, Rhoden has a history of representing his industry and Stevens Transport. When asked which of Rhoden’s character traits she’d like to see in all drivers, Horowitz said:
“It would be Gerald’s calm, steady demeanor in any situation, paired with his ability to communicate with professionalism and respect. That balance of humility and focus is a quality every driver could benefit from.
“If a book were written on how to be the best in this industry, it could be filled with Gerald’s experiences — 30 years of lessons, dedication and excellence — each chapter a testament to what it means to drive with purpose and pride,” Horowitz concluded.
According to Rhoden, the feeling is mutual.
“I lucked out, landing with such a great company,” he said. “They take care of their equipment, and they take care of their drivers. From the day I started with them, I’ve never had that urge to go to another company. Stevens Transport is like a family.”
Whether he’s talking with a room full of legislators or a trainee with a new CDL, Gerald Rhoden strives to represent the best of the trucking industry, Stevens Transport and TCA.
This story originally appeared in the November/December 2025 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
Wow! what an accomplishment and nice having those goals to spur you on.