2024 Citizen Driver – Tim Taylor
TRAVELCENTERS OF AMERICA has honored Georgia driver Tim Taylor with its prestigious Citizen Driver Award.
Taylor has more than 2.8 million safe driving miles. He serves on his local safety committee as well as the President’s Safety Team at FedEx Freight. He has received countless awards for his exceptional skills, safety and performance behind the wheel and has consistently placed in the top three at the Georgia Truck Driving Championship. As a driver/trainer with FedEx, he mentors new drivers and also serves as a coach, offering advice to drivers to improve their skills and habits. He leads his fellow company drivers as they prepare for the truck driving championship, setting up practice sessions on his own time.
Taylor drives between 100,000 to 150,000 miles a year on average, but that doesn’t keep him from pursuing other passions. He hosts a weekly podcast where he interviews members of the trucking industry about how the industry is essential and how careers improve lives. In 2017, Taylor was selected as an America’s Road Team Captain. He spreads the message of safe driving to students, fellow drivers and everyone he can.
Taylor is a true representative of a citizen driver, said GMTA VP of Safety & Education Emily Crane. “Tim leads his life with a servant’s heart. When he isn’t on the road ensuring that our shelves stay stocked and advocating for safety as a Road Team Captain, he spends much of his time raising funds, volunteering and supporting the Safety Drive for a Cure, an annual fundraiser for professional drivers, organized by professional drivers.” He has raised more than $30,000 in the past seven years on his own for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
The Valdosta driver is also involved in his church as a Sunday school teacher for 36 years, as an Elder and a mission field worker in Jamaica.
The Citizen Driver Award was created to recognize professional drivers who demonstrate a high level of respect to the truck driving profession through leadership, good citizenship, safety, health and wellness, and community involvement.
“It’s an honor to recognize such extraordinary individuals who demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism, safety and citizenship on the road and off,” said TA CEO Debi Boffa, who presented the awards at a special ceremony in March.
As a Citizen Driver recipient, honorees may select a TA, Petro Stopping Center or TA Express location to be dedicated in their name. To celebrate their career and contributions, a bronze historical marker with the driver’s image and story will be installed on the front of the building, and a dedication ceremony is held with their family and friends. In addition, TA makes a $2,500 donation to each winner’s charitable organization of choice.
Taylor has selected TA Atlanta South, Georgia, as the site to be dedicated in his name and Adopt Together as his charity of choice for the $2,500 donation.
