CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award program made history today at the Kenworth plant with the announcement of a record number of five finalists who advanced in this year’s search for America’s top rookie military veteran driver.
Launched in 2015 as a collaborative initiative between Kenworth, Fastport and the US Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes Program, the Driving For Excellence Award has a committee of judges who are charged to choose THREE finalists from the group of semifinalists, who made up this year’s Elite 11.
The winner of the Driving For Excellence Award will receive a new Kenworth T680 truck. Today’s event at the Kenworth plant gave this year’s Elite 11 an opportunity to take a guided tour of the facility and see how the Chillicothe operation produces just under 200 trucks per day over two shifts.
The moment of history for the Driving For Excellence Award took place after Fastport President Brad Bentley announced, in alphabetical order, that Mo Arzola (now with Patriot Group International), Monica Brooks-Buck (Werner Enterprises) and Daniel Doss (Melton Truck Lines) had earned scores from the judges that placed them in the final round.
With these three finalists standing at the front of the conference room at the Kenworth facility, Bentley had more to say.
In the event of a tie in the scoring judges’ review and scoring of the semifinalists — something Bentley told the group has “only happened a couple of times” in the program’s 11-year history — the Driving For Excellence Award has been known to expand the group of finalists to four.
This year, the judges scores in the semifinal round produced a three-way tie, in an unprecedented field of not three, not four, but five finalists.
History was made this year when, in alphabetical order, Brandon Ward (Werner Enterprises) and Gary Williams (Stevens Transport) were announced as the fourth and fifth finalists who will join Arzola, Brooks-Buck and Doss in the program’s next phase.
The road to Chillicothe
The process to find the Driving For Excellence Award winner for 2026 actually began back in March with the opening of nominations from employers and credentialing institutions (CDL schools). In early August, Transition Trucking announced that the field of nominees had been narrowed down to the Elite 11 semifinalists’ group.
The Trucker and PodWheels collaborated to produce a feature story and interview series that began in early September, spotlighting each member of the Elite 11.
Before arriving in Chillicothe this morning for the tour of the Kenworth production facility, the Elite 11 gathered in Columbus on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum for a tour and an evening program that featured a banquet. This event featured special presentations by U.S. military veterans, including Tony Kohl, a Vietnam Purple Heart recipient and a member of the board of directors for the Purple Heart Foundation.
What’s next?
This year’s five finalists will soon be making plans to gather at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, on Dec. 14, when the Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award winner for 2026 will be announced.
The pubic has a voice in the selection of the overall winner of this year’s program, who will receive the keys to a brand-new Kenworth T680 tractor. In October, Transition Trucking will provide the public an opportunity to vote on the five finalists. Details about public voting will soon be available at TransitionTrucking.org.
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.
