Ten drivers. Ten trucks.
One every year.
Every winner of Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence since 2016, and what they did before the keys.
Where the truck went
Each winner was a rookie driver at the time of the award — hired into trucking within a year of leaving the service. Several now own their own equipment, and several train and recruit the drivers who follow them.
Select a year below to read the citation that was written when the driver won.
The winners
The winners
2016 · Troy Davidson
2016 winner Troy Davidson is a Navy Veteran from Pensacola, FL. During his military service, Troy was an E-5 Jet Engine Mechanic and received the Navy Good Conduct Medal (twice), the National Defense Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal. Since his nomination, Troy has added to his fleet and helps guide the newest members of the trucking industry to become excellent drivers.
2017 · Gregg Softy
2017 winner Gregg Softy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point spent more than 28 years of distinguished active duty in the Army before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel to begin a second career at Stevens Transport after receiving his MBA degree. Gregg now leads Stevens Transport’s recruiting team and has mentored many new and experienced drivers.
2018 · Quinton Ward
2018 winner Quinton Ward is a U.S. Army Veteran who transitioned from service as an E5 Sergeant. During his military career, he worked as a Mechanic, Instructor and Career Counselor and was medically retired in 2010. With his service dog Kirra by his side, Quinton began to seek a new career. Utilizing the VA Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Quinton earned his CDL-A and joined Werner Enterprises.
2019 · Joseph Campbell
2019 winner is Joseph Campbell is a Veteran of two branches, the Army and Marines. During his 24 years in uniform in the two branches of the service, he deployed to Iraq in 2003 and served at several major military installations including Fort Knox (Ky.), Fort Bragg (N.C.) and Fort McCoy (Wis.). Along the way, he earned two bachelor’s degrees and a masters in performance management.
2020 · Ivan Hernandez
2020 winner Ivan Hernandez’s fascination with logistics started while he was in the Army, where he observed the complex tasks of how goods moved from bases in the United States to where he was stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan during multiple deployments that saw him earn two bronze stars and also become a Purple Heart recipient.
2021 · Jimmy Reddell
The 2021 winner is Jimmy Reddell who knew from a young age he wanted to serve his country. He enlisted in the Army for what would be a long, 22-year career. Jimmy was assigned to a variety of mission-critical positions. Prior to his retirement, Jimmy played a key role in the Hurricane Katrina rescue and cleanup missions. In his final assignment, Jimmy’s career came full cycle when he retired as an Army recruiter.
2022 · Ashley Leiva
2022 winner Ashley Leiva served her country for 15 years as an Army combat veteran, and retired in 2021 to return to her hometown in Texas, where she and her brother took over her mother’s trucking business and attended Del Mar Transportation. Her mother inspired her to go into driving because it made her feel like she “was on top of the world”. Ashley loves driving, is actively pursuing her BA in Business Management, and is raising her beautiful five-year-old daughter.
2023 · Brandon Meredith
2023 winner is Brandon Meredith. Brandon is a native of Spring Valley, Illinois, and currently resides in North Carolina with his wife and 2 daughters. Brandon retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of active service. He has earned many awards and decorations and spent 13 years in the Special Operations Forces. He is currently employed at Slay Transportation as a Tanker Driver and Delivery Professional for liquid products. His goal within the transportation industry is to become an owner-operator and mentor.
2024 · Cory Troxell
2024 winner Cory Troxell was born into service with his grandfather, father, and uncle serving with distinguished careers in the Army. Motivated by a strong sense of family pride, service, and patriotism following the events of 9/11, Cory enlisted into the Army in 2004. In 2009, Cory was severely wounded in an enemy IED attack, eventually earning him the Purple Heart. He continued to serve until his retirement in 2024. Drawing similarities to his decision to join the Army, he followed a trucking driving career path already cut by his family.
2025 · Charles Jones Jr.
Our reigning champion SFC Charles C. Jones Jr (Retired) graduated from high school in Indian Trail, NC in the year of 2004. He had already chosen his career path his Junior year and committed to the Army using Delayed Entry Program. Charles entered military service as Private First Class, given credit for his time in the Naval Junior Reserve Office Training Corps Program and Physical Fitness Test achievements. He served his country for 20 years as Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator, Instructor Operator, Standards Operator, and Platoon Sergeant just to name a few roles and responsibilities. Charles has three combat deployments to Iraq and two rotations to South Korea. He is married to Katrina R. Jones and has two children Alvin (15) and Monica (13). Charles graduated from the Georgia Driving Academy in December 2024 and started his driving career with Roehl Transport in early 2025.
This year’s Elite 11 are driving now
Eleven semi-finalists were named in August. Public voting opens November 1.
Meet the Elite 11