When describing the route that Roehl Transport’s Juan Rosado Lozada followed to become part of the Elite 11 for Transition Trucking’s 2026 Driving For Excellence Award, he recalls a moment from his earliest days in the Marine Corps.
It was during the closing portion of Marine bootcamp, and recruits were receiving their assignments. One of Rosado Lozada’s fellow recruits, who was on track for a position in motor transport, exited the program. His departure opened the door for Rosado Lozada to get behind the wheel of a Marine Humvee.
Rosado Lozada’s journey toward a future in trucking began in that instant.
“I was very lucky to get that job. I loved it,” said Rosado Lozada. “I needed to change my life at that point, and the Marines helped me to become a better man. My family kept telling me to join the Army, but I wanted to see if I could handle the challenge of being in the Marines.”
In addition to finding a home in the Marines, Rosado Lozada’s three-year tour as a motor transport operator provided the opportunity to drive a variety of vehicles and transport varied cargo — including flatbed loads. That flatbed experience would eventually draw him to Roehl.
“The Marines changed my perspective on everything,” he observed. “I learned a lot about timelines and why you need to plan to be 15 minutes early. This has really helped me in the transition to what I do these days.”
The voice that changed his world
As his tour with the Marines entered a third year, Rosado Lozada knew he needed to make a big decision about his future.
The Marines had introduced him to the world of possibilities with trucking. Rosado Lozada also knew the Corps created another moment of destiny for him during a deployment in Japan.
Rosado Lozada was born in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and grew up in the Tampa Bay, Florida, area. While out on leave with some of his Marine Corps buddies in Japan — the only Spanish-speaking member of the group — he was quite surprised when a local woman greeted him in Spanish.
The sound of Mayumi Kawashiro’s voice, speaking fluent Spanish a world away from home, stopped Rosado Lozada in his tracks. He quickly learned that Kawashiro’s father is Japanese, while her mother was born in the Dominican Republic.
“I couldn’t believe that someone was speaking Spanish in the middle of Japan,” recalled Rosado Lozada. “We hit it off right away. She is everything to me.”
Rosado Lozada and Kawashiro were married in Japan, and they were living there as his tour with the Marines wrapped up and he considered his future. Because of his positive experience as a motor transport operator for the military, he knew he wanted to go into trucking.
Taking the next step in his trucking career
Rosado Lozada’s transition into commercial trucking began at Fort Benning, Georgia, with the Troops Into Transportation program. Once he successfully completed the training and had his newly minted CDL in his pocket — in addition to his experience behind the wheel as a Marine — Rosado Lozada found a home with Roehl Transport.
Just as he had in the Marines, Rosado Lozada had the opportunity to once again pull flatbed freight with Roehl. He also had the benefit of going through Roehl’s driver finishing program, with a fellow Marine showing him the ropes.
“Roehl put me with John as my trainer. He had been in the Marines, and he really helped me,” said Rosado Lozada of pulling flatbed loads across the nation’s highways and roads.
“He made it a fun process, but he also taught me a lot about flatbed cargo and what he’s learned about staying safe on the road. Being with John, I learned about time management and planning my day with a load,” he added. “I went from learning all these things on paper and then putting it into practice.”
With each mile he drives, Rosado Lozada has a guiding light provided by his wife, who, he notes, is the inspiration for the work he does on the road.
“She is really the ‘engine’ for all of this,” he explained. “When we talked about it, we knew trucking was the way to a better life for us. Without her support, I’m not sure I would wake up on time in the mornings. When I need someone to just listen to me when I’m on the road, she is the one who I call.”
Juan Rosado Lozada’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.
From the Marines to the Elite 11
Looking back on the road over that will bring him to Columbus, Ohio, this Tuesday (Sept. 22) with the rest of this year’s Elite 11 semifinalists, Rosado Lozada can trace his run as a semifinalist for the Driving For Excellence Award to its origin point.
“The Marines helped with everything,” he said. “If I don’t have that commitment and I don’t push myself, my world is totally different. The Marines taught me a career. Now, I just have to stick with it, keep my values and continue to plan. I know that if you don’t have a plan, you are not going to go anywhere.”
In being selected to the Elite 11, Rosado Lozada knows that he is on the right path — though the honor is still a bit overwhelming, even weeks after first learning the news.
“I really don’t have the words to express my feelings,” he said. “It’s a great honor. It’s something that is making me want to keep pushing to reach my goals.”
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.
