2015 Woman Driver of Excellence Award Announced

December 10, 2015

All of our drivers are truly special to us. Last year we started the Women in the Driver’s Seat program for our women drivers here at Bennett. Women have come a long way in this industry, and those who contribute by driving behind the wheel are among the brightest and best, the cream of the crop. As part of that program, we are working to do our best to support and encourage all of our women drivers. To do that, we wanted to recognize those that stand out, make a significant contribution, while they mentor other women drivers, and perhaps, pave the way for new and even more women drivers in the future.

This year we are pleased to announce our inaugural Woman Driver of Excellence Award. This award goes to a select few of our women drivers who are exemplary drivers with a proven track record and an impeccable safety record. She also is a great mentor to other drivers, male and female. And has made and continues to make a positive impact in both the transportation industry and to our company here at Bennett.

The winners were nominated by those who are familiar with their work and their contributions to the industry, the company, and to the communities in which these ladies live. More than 20 women were nominated and the winners were selected by a panel.

I had the pleasure of calling each one of our winners to give them the great news, and it was a lot of fun just chatting with them about their job as a driver. I’d like to announce those winners and share a little about why they were selected to be recognized today.

Heidi Crosby

Heidi drives for our Bennett Truck Transport division.

Heidi was raised in the trucking business and now carries on the tradition. She has been driving now for about two and a half years.

In speaking with Heidi, I know she has a real passion for driving and she says she enjoys her job every time she gets behind the wheel.

As a safe and professional driver, Heidi handles each unit she hauls as though it is her own.

We congratulate you, Heidi Crosby, on being selected as one of Bennett’s Women Driver of Excellence award recipients!

Lois Carlson

Our next winner is Lois Carlson. Lois drives for Bennett Motor Express.

Lois started driving in 2000 because she wanted to do something “different” and she liked the freedom of the road and the flexibility that driving gives her.

She told me she thinks that strong attributes like patience and the ability to communicate well are just a couple of things that make women good at being professional drivers.

Lois is a safe and capable driver and she says for her, safety comes from being alert and ready for anything and everything that could happen when you’re on the road.

Her advice to women just starting out is to never be afraid to ask questions and always ask for help when you need it.

We congratulate Lois Carlson on being selected as one of Bennett’s Women Driver of Excellence award recipients!

Kay Dossett

Our next winner, Kay Dossett, drives for Bennett’s DriveAway division.

Kay started out driving motorhomes for WBO in 1970 and found she loves the people, she loves meeting new people, she loves to travel and really overall enjoys what she is doing. As a result, she ended up working for WBO for many years.

Kay has a positive attitude and is always very safety conscious and said she keeps safe by staying alert to what is happening around her.

What she likes most about driving is the freedom it gives her and she is thankful that she has the opportunity to drive and enjoy the country.

We congratulate Kay Dossett on being selected as one of Bennett’s Women Driver of Excellence award recipients!

Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith drives for Power Only in our DriveAway division and is our next winner.

Rebecca said she likes Power Only because there’s something different every day and she gets the opportunity to visit and see some interesting places.

I understand that Rebecca is well-liked among the customers and oftentimes they request her to drive their load. One of those customers is a concert moving company. Rebecca said she also likes pulling the stage for concerts because she gets to meet some of the performers and a lot of other interesting people.

For Rebecca, she said that safety is a matter of common sense and she is proud to be a driver in the transportation industry.

We congratulate Rebecca Smith on being selected as one of Bennett’s Women Driver of Excellence award recipients!

Diane Frederick

Diane Frederick is the winner from the pickup/RV area in Bennett’s DriveAway division.

Diane started her career as a school bus driver in 1999, and after driving a bus for 10 ears, she decided she wanted to try something different. She’s been working for Sue Smith for the last 16 years, and she loves what she does.

One of the things she likes best about driving is it gives her the opportunity to travel and see the country. And she told me she loves being able to pick and choose the locations that she wants to travel to.

When it comes to safety, she always runs the speed limit, stays alert, and she always keeps her truck in top running condition.

We congratulate Diane Frederick on being selected as one of Bennett’s Women Driver of Excellence award recipients!

Our sixth and final winner is Diana Robinson who drives for Ace Doran.

Diana is a third generation truck driver and her husband drives a truck as well.

She came to Ace Doran after driving for a local dump truck company while her children were young. Now she and her husband have banded together as a team moving loads across the country and playing tourist every time they have a layover.

Diana has received special training in the area of HAZMAT and won an award for nine years of safe driving.

Diana is a strong believer in safety. She stays alert and constantly watches the drivers around her.

Congratulations to Diana Robinson on being selected as one of Bennett’s Women Driver of Excellence award recipients!

Again, we appreciate all our drivers and what you all do for us on a daily basis. You are all a special group of people, and it is because of you, we have so much to appreciate and so much to celebrate!

Related Articles

September 25, 2024

10 Years of Bennett’s Women in the Driver’s Seat Program

Bennett's Women in the Driver's Seat Program Celebrates 10 Years!
Read More
September 4, 2024

Drivers & Women of Excellence 2024 Award Winners

Today, we honor our 2023 Drivers & Women of Excellence award recipients. We value our drivers/employees and take pride in celebrating them during our annual Drivers Appreciation event. 2023 has been an extraordinary year and these women have performed with the highest levels of professionalism and represent the best in the industry. Please take a few moments to watch as Marcia Taylor, CEO of Bennett Family of Companies presents the winners with their awards in a virtual format.
Read More
July 31, 2024

Bennett Family of Companies Named 2024 Top Woman-Owned Business in Transportation for the 6th Consecutive Year

Bennett Family of Companies Named 2024 Top Woman Owned Business in Transportation for 6th Consecutive Year
Read More
September 11, 2023

Drivers & Women of Excellence 2023 Award Winners

Today, we honor our 2023 Drivers & Women of Excellence award recipients. We value our drivers/employees and take pride in celebrating them during our annual Drivers Appreciation event. 2023 has been an extraordinary year and these women have performed with the highest levels of professionalism and represent the best in the industry. Please take a few moments to watch as Marcia Taylor, CEO of Bennett Family of Companies presents the winners with their awards in a virtual format.
Read More
September 13, 2022

Drivers & Women Of Excellence 2022 Award Winners

oday, we honor our 2022 Drivers & Women of Excellence award recipients. We value our drivers/employees and take pride in celebrating them during our annual Drivers Appreciation event. 2022 has been an extraordinary year and these women have performed with the highest levels of professionalism and represent the best in the industry. Please take a few moments to watch as Marcia Taylor, CEO of Bennett Family of Companies presents the winners with their awards in a virtual format.
Read More
September 8, 2021

Women Drivers of Excellence 2021 Award Winners

Today, we honor our 2021 Women Drivers of Excellence award recipients. We value our drivers and take pride in celebrating them during our annual Drivers Appreciation event. 2021 has been an extraordinary year and these drivers have performed with the highest levels of professionalism and represent the best in the industry. This year, due to COVID-19, we celebrate differently than we have in past years. Please take a few moments to watch as Marcia Taylor, CEO and President of Bennett Family of Companies presents the winners with their awards in a virtual format.
Read More
September 15, 2020

Women Drivers of Excellence 2020 Award Winners

Today, we honor our 2020 Women Drivers of Excellence award recipients. We value our drivers and take pride in celebrating them during our annual Drivers Appreciation event. 2020 has been an extraordinary year and these drivers have performed with the highest levels of professionalism and represent the best in the industry. This year, due to COVID-19, we celebrate differently than we have in past years. Please take a few moments to watch as Marcia Taylor, CEO and President of Bennett Family of Companies presents the winners with their awards in a virtual format.
Read More
September 16, 2019

Vallerie Hayden – 2019 Recipient

Vallerie Hayden got into driving because of her husband, Harold. He drove for five years and she enjoyed going with him. After raising their children, she started driving with Harold as a team driver. They have been driving together for the last 13 years and have been married for 43 years.
Read More
September 16, 2019

Darla McDowell – 2019 Recipient

Darla McDowell has been driving for five years. She started her career as a bus driver but wanted to do something different. When she started driving for Bennett, she was at the lowest, hardest time of her life. She says Bennett was the best thing that ever happened to her and this job has given her confidence, strong will, independence and a determination of steel. She had to do a lot of falling forward and picking herself up but now she feels that she is at the top of her profession.
Read More
September 16, 2019

Lisa Little – 2019 Recipient

Lisa Little has been driving for 10 years and is an excellent driver. She is always ready to go above and beyond to help other drivers. Her peers say she is a joy to work with and is always smiling, happy and will welcome anyone with open arms and a warm hug.
Read More
September 16, 2019

Heidi Crosby – 2019 Recipient

According to Transport Topics, truck drivers are becoming social media influencers.  There are several drivers among the Bennett Family of Companies that are on various social media platforms as social media influencers in the transportation industry.  In addition, Bennett is a sponsor of Tony Justice, all-American country music artist and truck driver, who also has a considerable social media presence.  Learn more about why our drivers and Tony use social media to expand their career.
Read More
September 16, 2019

Theresa Davis – 2019 Recipient

Terry Davis has been driving for 42 years and as a team driver with her husband, Clarence, for 24 years. She drove by herself for 10 years before meeting her husband. Terry prefers to drive during the day while her husband drives during the evening. On her shift, she takes care of everything. Terry will get the truck loaded, unloaded, axle out the weight, make repairs on the truck or trailer all while taking care of the paperwork and giving excellent customer service to Bennett customers.
Read More
September 16, 2019

Violet Helferich – 2019 Recipient

Violet Helferich has been with Ace Doran/Bennett since the inception of the Wind Division in early 2016. In her family, driving a truck is a tradition. Her father owned a farm and raised her to be independent. Violet started driving a feed truck at the age of 14 and by the age of 16, she was hauling cattle. She always knew that she wanted to drive and got her Commercial Driver’s License at the age of 18.
Read More
15 articles

Join Our Community

Bennett Newsletter Subscription

Sign up to stay current with Bennett and Transportation Industry news. We send out a digital newsletter monthly. Unsubscribe any time.