Peggy Arnold, a company driver for Yellow Corporation for nearly 30 years, is one of three finalists for the 2022 Driver of the Year award, the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) announced this week.
The third annual award recognizes outstanding female professional drivers who are industry leaders in safety standards and service, while also enhancing the trucking profession’s public image. The award winner will be announced on March 25 during WIT’s “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” event at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Ky. Arnold will attend the event.
“It’s always exciting to receive recognition from Women in Trucking, and this is a first-class accomplishment for Peggy,” said Darren Hawkins, CEO of Yellow. “We are so proud of her and grateful for the way she represents our company every day.”
Based in Nashville, Tenn., Arnold has earned Yellow’s Million Mile driver award, having logged nearly 1.9 million accident-free miles as of December 2021. She has been named among WIT’s 2022 Top Women to Watch and has also been named as an America’s Road Team Captain finalist for 2022 by the American Trucking Associations.
At Yellow, Arnold serves on the company’s safety team and on the Women’s Inclusion Network Employee Resource Group. Last year, she received Yellow’s Road to Excellence Award and is a certified safety trainer.
“Our safety team spends countless hours helping our fellow drivers prevent on-the-job injuries, with a goal to be accident-free,” Arnold said. “I am a part of our new driver’s training program and take my job straight to the heart. Every day I do my best to train and teach to the best of my ability… I desperately want them to remember a positive experience and know that the team spirit is alive and well, so that they, too, can someday pay it forward.”
Tamara Jalving, vice president for safety at Yellow, said Arnold trains new and existing drivers on collision avoidance, injury prevention techniques, terminal safety practices, and more.
“She brings her passion every day to everyone she meets. I personally could not be prouder to have her represent our industry and women in trucking,” Jalving said.
This is the third time that WIT will name a Driver of the Year and the first time that a Yellow driver has been a finalist. The judging panel for the 2022 award includes Tricia Tullis, general transportation manager for Walmart Transportation, Jeana Hysell, senior safety consultant for J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., and Ellen Voie, WIT president and CEO.
“Each year, we become more amazed at both the quality and the quantity of drivers nominated for this prestigious award,” Voie said.
