Vallerie Hayden – 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kara Leppert grew up in Ohio and started driving in her early 20’s. After getting married, she and her husband ran as a team. The husband and wife team for the last 10 years have driven separately for an Owner-Operator.

In the transportation industry, there are often small differences between carriers. One may offer slightly different pay percentages, while another may offer a sign-on bonus. In the short term, differences in pay and benefits may seem important, but what happens when your truck breaks down? If you have a medical issue, will the company you are leased to be sympathetic to your situation? What about the sense of loneliness you feel every day on the road away from your family? So many of the real issues that arise in trucking can only be addressed by people that truly care for your needs and are led by a higher purpose. Before making the switch to another carrier, it’s beneficial for you and your family to test a trucking company’s core values.