Consider This

TCA Honors 2005 Drivers of the Year

Henry Shriver won the 2005 Independent Contractor of the Year contest sponsored by the Truckload Carriers Association, while Dora Colvin earned top honors in the Company Equipment Driver of the Year contest. The awards, presented at the TCA’s Annual Convention in March, were based on the drivers’ excellent safety re-cords, unblemished work history and involvement in the community and industry.

Shriver, a contractor with Smithway Motor Xpress in Fort Dodge, IA, began driving on his father’s farm and then went to work for a small trucking company owned by a farm colleague of his father’s. The company owner saw his ambitions and encouraged him to go to work for Umthun Trucking, even cosigning the note for Henry to buy his first tractor. His trust was repaid as Henry has gone on to drive 2.8 million accident- and violation-free miles. In 2002 he begin driving for Smithway Motor Xpress, where he is known as a safety advocate and efficient businessman. He and his wife Ann are involved in numerous community activities in their town of Eagle Grove, IA.

As the Independent Contractor of the Year, Shriver won a new International 9000i Model tractor donated by International Truck and Engine Corporation and powered by a Signature ISX 500 HP engine donated by Cummins Engine Company. In addition to the fully loaded tractor, Shriver will also receive thousands of dollars in cash, savings bonds, gift certificates and merchandise from a long list of sponsors.

Colvin has been successfully involved in the trucking industry for more than 40 years. In 1965 she began wearing boots to reach the five-foot, two-inch height requirement for Kansas truck drivers. In 1972 she was the first female driver for Stanley Dilley, a produce company, and in 1992 she was the first female driver for Wynne Tank Lines, a chemical hauler. She has pulled dry vans for CFI, along with many female drivers, for the past nine and half years. In her 51 years with a driver’s license she has maintained a perfect safety record without an accident or moving violation in either her personal or commercial vehicle. Dora and her husband, Gordon, who is also a driver, live in Udall, KS.

As the grand prizewinner among company equipment drivers, Dora will receive thousands of dollars in cash, savings bonds, gift certificates and merchandise from a long list of sponsors.

The rest of the top-five in the Independent Contractor of the Year contest include: 2. Daniel Beber of Polk, NE, 3. Art Reid of Breckenridge, TX, 4. Ronald Warner of Missoula, MT, and 5. Lanny and Connie Beyer of Hancock, MN.

The rest of the top-five in the Company Equipment Driver of the Year contest include: 2. Zimri Zirkle of Marion, IN, 3. Fred Howard Jr. of Albany, GA, 4. Bret Campbell of Sedalia, MO, and 5. Kenneth Luther of Nampa, ID.