WASHINGTON — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is announcing the five professional truck driver finalists for the 2025 ATA National Driver of the Year Award.
Sponsored by DMC Insurance, the ATA National Driver of the Year Award acknowledges one notable professional driver for his or her career-long professional achievements, commitment to excellence and safety on the road.
“The National Driver of the Year is selected from a pool of outstanding state Drivers of the Year submitted by ATA’s affiliated state trucking associations,” ATA said. “Each candidate’s qualifications and achievements are examined by a group of professional industry judges who narrow down the nominees to a group of finalists.”
2025 Finalists
Steve Brand
Brand has been a professional driver for 36 years, including 29 years with FedEx Freight. Throughout his career, he has achieved more than 4.8 million accident-free miles. He is an active member of America’s Road Team and the FedEx Freight Road Team, serves as an Ambassador for Truckers Against Trafficking, and was named the 2024 Ohio Driver of the Year.
Don Carpenter
Carpenter has been a professional driver for 45 years, including the past 11 with Old Dominion Freight Line. Over the course of his career, he has driven more than 4.5 million accident-free miles. An Army veteran and active Truck Driving Championships competitor, Carpenter, was honored as the 2024 Oklahoma Driver of the Year.
Kevin Flick
Flick has been a professional driver for 37 years, including 22 years with Buchheit Logistics. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated more than 6.1 million accident-free miles. He is an 11-time member of the Missouri Trucking Association’s Chairman’s Safe Driver Club, a seven-time Missouri Trucking Association Driver of the Month and the 2024 Missouri Driver of the Year.
Williams Jones
Jones has been a professional driver for 51 years, including 29 years with Walmart Transportation. Throughout his remarkable career, he has accumulated more than seven million accident-free miles. The 2006 Walmart Driver of the Year, Jones is a certified driver trainer and mentor to countless professional drivers. He was honored as the 2025 Kansas Driver of the Year.
Duane Staveness
Staveness has been a professional driver for 33 years, including 25 years with FedEx Freight. Over the course of his career, he has achieved more than 2.55 million accident-free miles. He is a current member of the Wisconsin Road Team, a 25-year member of the Master Presidents Club for safe driving, and the 2018 NTDC 5-Axle National Champion. He was honored as the 2025 Wisconsin Driver of the Year.
The Safety Management Council Awards & Recognition Committee judges each video submission and selects a winner. The winner will be announced at ATA’s Safety, Security and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition, which will be held in Oklahoma City on April 1 – 3, 2026.
To read about previous finalists, click here.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
