MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Trucking Association has named Arthur “Art” Stoen, a professional truck driver for Kane Transport in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota as the 2018 Minnesota Driver of the Year.
The award was presented to Stoen, a resident of Austin, Minnesota, at the association’s Driver of the Year Banquet recently.
Stoen, a resident of Austin, Minnesota, has been driving a truck for 55 years and has driven more than 4.4 million safe miles.
Kane Transport is a leading transporter of petroleum, asphalt, biodiesel and ethanol in the Midwest.
“This award is a great way to honor the best in our industry,” said John Hauslade. Driving safe is no easy task, especially when you take into consideration his daily driving conditions like congestion, driver distractions and Minnesota winters. Having 4.4 million safe driving miles is an astonishing accomplishment, especially given the unique challenge of safely delivering and unloading diesel and gasoline without incident,” says MTA President John Hausladen. “We’re proud to award Art for this outstanding achievement.”
“Art is hard working, safe, efficient and reliable, and truly understands customer service and expectations of a driver,” said John Shaleen, director of safety at Kane Transport. “He is one of the best running and efficient drivers in our fleet, and always goes above and beyond.”
In addition to being a great example of what it means to be an outstanding professional truck driver, Stoen said he enjoys traveling, fishing and spending time with his family.
Hausladen said throughout 2018, exceptional drivers were nominated by their companies and one driver is chosen each month to be the Driver of the Month.
The drivers who are chosen meet a high standard of requirements including an outstanding driving and work record; contribution to industry and highway safety; and involvement in the community.
In January, MTA hosts the Driver of the Year Banquet and one of the 12 nominees is selected as Driver of the Year by a panel of judges including Matthew Marin, division administrator for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Deb Ledvina, director of commercial vehicle operations at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Capt. Jon Olsen of the Minnesota State Patrol.
The Minnesota Trucking Association is a non-profit trade association representing 630 member-trucking companies and allied firms from across the state.
Its mission is to serve as the voice for a safe and successful Minnesota trucking industry, doing so, Hausladen said, by developing innovative and research-based policies that promote highway safety, educating policymakers and the public about the essential role that trucking plays in the economy and promoting responsible policies that advance the trucking industry’s environmental goals.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
