Meet a few of TCA’s Highway Angels: James Brown, Mike Nelson and John Graf
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has recognized professional truck drivers James Brown, Mike Nelson and John Graf as TCA Highway Angels because of their acts of heroism while on the road.
In recognition of these drivers’ willingness to help fellow drivers and motorists, TCA has presented each Highway Angel with a certificate, a lapel pin, patches and truck decals. Their employers have also received a certificate highlighting their driver as a recipient.
Since TCA’s Highway Angels program began in 1997, nearly 1,400 professional truck drivers have been recognized as Highway Angels because of the exemplary kindness, courtesy and courage they have displayed while on the job. TCA extends special thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsors DriverFacts and Northland Insurance.
To nominate a driver or read more about these and other Highway Angel award recipients, visit highwayangel.org.
James Brown – Melton Truck Lines
The rain was torrential as James Brown, who drives for Melton Truck Lines, was traveling through Arkansas on May 22, 2026. He was about 40 miles east of Little Rock, around 6 a.m. when he saw another semi-truck lose control.
“It was raining pretty hard that day,” Brown recalled. “My visibility was probably 25 to 30 feet from my truck. I had slowed down to about 50 or 55 because in that kind of weather, you should be.”
As Brown watched, the truck sped past him before leaving the roadway and overturning.
“I thought he was going to keep it upright,” Brown said. “But when he came back onto the asphalt, I figured he overcorrected. The truck slid about 65 to 75 feet.”
Brown safely pulled his truck to the shoulder and ran to the wrecked vehicle. As he helped the driver escape, he noticed a piece of metal lodged in the man’s leg.
“Before I could tell him, ‘Don’t pull that out,’ he pulled it out,” Brown said.
The object had severed a major artery, resulting in potentially catastrophic bleeding. Drawing on skills he’d learned during 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Brown acted immediately.
“I had battlefield medical training,” he said. “I cut a seat belt up. We made a tourniquet and got it on his leg.”
Brown’s quick thinking slowed the blood loss and stabilized the injured driver until emergency responders arrived.
“He was conscious when I got there,” Brown said. “By the time I got the tourniquet on, he was still conscious, but he wasn’t making much sense. He had lost quite a bit of blood.”
Brown believes the tourniquet made the critical difference.
“With an injury like that, you’ve got about 90 seconds before somebody bleeds out,” he said. “Had we not done something, he’d have been dead by the time help got there.”
After first responders arrived, Brown remained at the scene for nearly two hours, providing witness statements and assisting investigators before continuing on to complete his delivery.
“If that had been me in that truck, I would hope somebody would stop and help,” he said. “My wife, my children — I’d hope somebody would stop and do the same for them.”
Because of his life-saving actions that day, Brown earned his TCA Highway Angel wings.
Mike Nelson – Crawford Trucking
On the evening of May 21, 2026, Mike Nelson, a driver for Crawford Trucking, was traveling through California on Interstate 40 after making a delivery, when he stopped at a rest stop. While here, he noticed a family whose daughter’s vehicle had broken down after overheating in the desert heat while traveling from Los Angeles to New York.
Nelson initially stopped to see if he could help diagnose the problem. After returning to his truck, however, he found himself thinking about the stranded travelers.
“I went back to my truck and was starting to eat supper, and it was weighing real heavy on me,” Nelson recalled. “The Lord was speaking to me, and told me to go back and check on them, see if they needed any food or water or anything.”
When he returned, Nelson learned the family had been waiting for a tow truck and had run out of food and water.
“So I went back to my truck and got some snacks and some water,” he said. “They had called the tow truck, but it hadn’t come yet and they were out of food and water. They didn’t have anything.”
Nelson shared his supplies and stayed with the family until help arrived.
“I just couldn’t feel right about not at least offering to share with them what I had,” he said.
His actions left a lasting impression on motorist Scott Morrison, who later submitted a nomination to TCA praising Nelson’s compassion.
“Mike was very kind to us when our car broke down in California,” Morrison wrote. “He made sure we had water and any other necessities while we waited for AAA. His kindness was very appreciated.”
Nelson, who has been driving professionally since the mid-1990s, was humbled by the recognition.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “I was just thankful that, you know, you show a little kindness when somebody’s having some trouble.”
Because of his kindness and compassion, Nelson has been named a TCA Highway Angel.
John Graf – ABF Freight
John Graf, a driver for ABF Freight, has been named a TCA Highway Angel because of his quick response and compassionate care after witnessing a serious single-vehicle crash in North Carolina.
On the morning of July 15, 2026, Graf was traveling near Westwood, North Carolina, when he saw a motorist lose control of the vehicle, leave the roadway, strike a guardrail and crash head-on into a bridge support.
“It was a pretty brutal hit,” Graf recalled. “The speed limit was about 70 miles an hour there, and they hit it probably pretty close to full impact.”
Graf, who was about an eighth of a mile behind the vehicle — and the only motorist immediately following it — pulled over and rushed to help.
After discovering the driver’s side of the vehicle was pinned against the bridge barrier, he and another passerby climbed an embankment to reach the passenger side. When they found the doors locked, the other motorist retrieved a hammer to break a window while Graf called 911.
The driver was eventually able to climb out through the broken window with assistance from Graf and the other Good Samaritan. A third passerby, who identified himself as an EMT or paramedic, also stopped to help comfort the injured woman until emergency responders arrived.
Graf remained at the scene, providing reassurance and assistance until first responders took over.
When asked why he chose to stop rather than simply call 911 and continue on his route, Graf said the decision was an easy one:
“You just want somebody there for you,” he said.
“She wasn’t in a good spot because she was tucked up behind the bridge embankment. You don’t know when the next car might have been,” he continued. “You’re just trying to help others as you’d want them to help you in a situation like that.”
This article first appeared in the September/October 2026 print edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
