A few months ago, Daniel Doss knew he would be getting a call from his company; he just didn’t know what he would hear when he answered his phone.
Doss is very open about his first year as a professional driver, noting that he created a bit of a “bumpy road” for himself as he began his career with Melton Truck Lines. When he heard from his driver manager that he needed to be ready to talk to someone with the company, Doss became anxious as he sat alone with his thoughts.
“I didn’t know what it could be,” said Doss. “I started thinking, ‘What did I mess up?’ I was going back over everything. I knew I hadn’t run any lights, and I’ve been on time. I just had to wait to find out.”
When the call came, Doss was a bit stunned to learn that Melton was nominating him for the 2026 Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award.
“Look, I did not transition from the military to the civilian as smoothly as I would have liked,” noted Doss. “I thought I was going to actually lose my job pretty soon after getting it. So, to go from that to being nominated, I was like, ‘Hey, I made an impact within Melton.’”
In early August, Doss received another call from Melton to let him know he had been selected as a member of the Driving For Excellence Award’s Elite 11.
“I was beyond words at that moment,” said Doss of learning he had joined the Elite 11. “The first thing I thought to do was to call my wife. I had been up for awards before, and nothing ever happened. I told my wife, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but I actually made it.’”
Having provided support on the home front for her husband during his time in the Air Force and throughout his transition into the trucking industry, Brandy Doss went through a range of emotions upon learning the news.
“She looked back at my first year, just as I had,” explained Doss. “Her first reaction was, ‘Seriously?’ She knew how far I had come this year, and she was incredibly proud.
“For my parents, it was really eye-opening, because this is a national recognition,” he added, discussing his family’s reaction to the Elite 11. “To think about all the applications that were submitted, I’m part of the Elite 11. That is an accomplishment itself, and all around our family there was a big celebration.”
The first company phone call — and a teaching moment
Why was Doss so apprehensive as he waited for the call that turned out to be news of his nomination for the Driving For Excellence program? That anxiety was rooted in another phone call that he had to wait for during his earliest days with Melton.
Fresh out of the Melton driver finishing program and behind the wheel as a solo driver, Doss found himself at the fuel island of a truck stop, behind a parked truck that was blocking his access to the pump.
The truck stop was quite busy at the time of his stop, and Doss was essentially stuck in a spot where his options were limited — and he had to wait. He was also under a load and was doing his best to follow the schedule of his trip plan.
“I was trapped and I was on the clock,” recalled Doss, who could see that the driver of the truck ahead of him was not nearby. “After about 15 minutes, I told the truck stop what was going on and I asked them to see if they could page this guy.”
The page didn’t work. So, Doss began to think back to his days as a fuel specialist in the Air Force. Moving military vehicles in and out of fuel islands had been part of his job.
“With the way I was raised and having been in the military, I am the kind of person who, when you see a problem, you fix a problem,” explained Doss. “One of my favorite things that I picked up in the military was ‘adapt and overcome.’ Figure it out, get it done, use your best judgment.”
Looking back at that moment at the fuel island, Doss readily admits that he did NOT use his best thinking when he decided to see if the keys were in the parked truck (they were) and then going on to pull the rig forward to a new parking spot, allowing him to fuel his truck.
“All I was thinking in that moment was that I needed to get that truck out of my way, but I know now that was not the right move,” Doss reflected. “When the driver of the truck asked me what happened and I told him, the guy was understandably upset. I knew that I would be getting a call from the company about it.”
When that call from Melton came, Doss intently listened to what was shared with him and expressed a deep sense of remorse over what happened. It became a pivotal teaching moment in his professional driving career. It also showed him that Melton trusted his dedication to service in providing the opportunity to go forward with the company.
“There were a lot of conversations with our safety department, with management, with my driver manager, and I listened to what they had to say,” recalled Doss. “I believe the people involved took into account that I was transitioning from the Air Force.
“As they explained to me all the things that could have happened, they could see where my mindset was,” he added. “I think they took my veteran status into account, and I am very thankful they were understanding. They knew I wasn’t going to do something like that again.”
Unwavering support inspires determination to succeed
Part of Brandy Doss’s joy at seeing her husband become part of the Elite 11 was because of a call she received from Doss during his earliest days on the road as a rookie driver.
“I was out on my very first load after I had gotten my truck, and it was a difficult load,” remembered Doss. “I was three hours into tarping and securing the load, and I was only about halfway done. I was so frustrated and I felt defeated. That’s when I called my wife.
“We talked, and I can definitely tell you that she helped me tarp that load,” he added. “When I got done, she was proud of what I had accomplished on that load. She is my best friend, and just having someone you can call is so important.”
While the majority of the experience that Doss gained in the military was working with vehicles and logistics, the decision to follow the passion he developed for trucking during his Air Force days was a decision he and his wife made together for their family.
“We wanted to find something that I enjoyed doing and that did more for our family than just cover the bills.” explained Doss. “Trucking was the plan after the service, and I was able to take advantage of the DOD SkillBridge program. I was able to use my GI bill and go get my CDL while I was still technically in the service.
“Whenever I need to call my wife, she’s there for me,” he continued. “I always try to make sure she knows how much it means to me that she’s taking care of everything while I’m out there, whether it was down range in the Air Force or now, out here on the road.”
According to Doss, his entire family, which includes two daughters and a son, has adjusted to his new career as a professional driver. His 7-year-old son actually based his approval on his father’s shift to trucking on a single provision.
“My son loves trucks. He’s loved them since he was a baby,” noted Doss. “When I told him I was going to be a truck driver, he told me, ‘Well, make sure your truck is blue. It’s got to be a blue truck.
“Fortunately, Melton’s trucks are blue,” he added. “When I brought the truck home for the first time, he said, ‘Hey, you got a blue one!’ He got up in the truck, and he was so impressed with all the buttons on the dash and that I had a bed in the truck. It was great to see that.”
Daniel Doss’s interview video appears below. Readers may also click here to view the video on YouTube or click here to hear an audio-only version.
Looking back at life lessons with the Air Force
One of the more unique aspects of the 10 years Doss served in the Air Force was his tour of duty in the honor guard at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington.
“While we were training and learning the motions and learning all the techniques for (the honor guard), it was really eye-opening to hear the meaning behind everything. Every fold, every step, every note — it all has a meaning behind it,” said Doss. “Hearing the playing of Taps and then seeing the folding of a flag … it means so much more now. Looking back, it was the most fulfilling duty I had.”
Doss also gained a great perspective on life and service from taking the calls of families as they made honor guard arrangements for their veterans of past conflicts.
“It was amazing to just hear some of the stories, especially for some of the men and women who were part of the Army Air Corps,” recalled Doss. “One of our assignments was to oversee the dignified transfer of a Marine from the Korean War, from the aircraft to the funeral home all the way through his service.
“Knowing that each one of these people had a story, and having family that served in multiple conflicts, it makes me feel good knowing that when my time comes, I’m going to be treated with honor and respect,” he continued.
An incredible year of transition to remember
Shortly before he arrives with his wife to join the other members of Elite 11 at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, this coming Tuesday, Sept. 22, Doss will have celebrated two important milestones.
First of all, it’s now been a year since his last day in the Air Force, and no more than two weeks later he began his career at Melton.
“We were sitting on our couch recently and having a conversation about this past year,” shared Doss. “(Brandy) asked me, ‘Remember when you called me about that first load?’ I’ve learned a lot and seen a good bit since then. I know that I still have a lot to learn, but we have done quite a bit in my first year.”
On Tuesday, Doss will have the honor of being one of two Melton drivers — and the lone Air Force veteran — joining the Elite 11 in Columbus.
“When I first heard I had made the Elite 11, it took some time for it to register,” said Doss. “I’m looking forward to hearing all the stories from everyone in the Elite 11 and all the good stuff ahead.”
Greg Thompson is an award-winning writer and producer who has worked in the trucking industry in a variety of roles since 1998. With more than a decade’s worth of experience as a journalist prior entering trucking, Greg is the founder and executive producer of PodWheels.com, a podcast network dedicated to spotlighting the trucking industry.
Since 2019, PodWheels has provided specialized coverage of the National Truck Driving and National Step Van Driving Championships. Over its history, the NTDC Podcast Series has provided more than 150 hours of podcast content highlighting the competitors, organizers and volunteers involved with the Truck Driving Championships at both the state and national levels. The NTDC program, which is hosted annually by the American Trucking Associations, has a history that dates back to 1937.
Beginning in 2025, PodWheels was chosen by the ATA to serve as the Official Podcaster for the NTDC. PodWheels’ coverage of the NTDC, including state competitions and other features, is available through RoadToNTDC.com.
