A driver for a St. Louis-based tanker company is this year's winner of the award recognizing military veterans who are new to the trucking industry.
Brandon Meredith, who drives for Slay Transportation, last week won the 2023 Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award. He spent 20 years in the Army, retiring from the service March 31, and is a third generation truck driver.
He won a Kenworth 100th Anniversary T680 Signature Edition truck. The special T680 is equipped with a 76-inch sleeper and the PACCAR Powertrain featuring the PACCAR MX-13 engine rated at 455 horsepower, PACCAR TX-12 automated transmission and PACCAR DX-40 tandem rear axles. He also received a full college scholarship.
The award was presented by Fastport and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes Program Friday, Dec. 15 during the Veterans Ready Summit in Washington D.C.
Meredith is a native of Spring Valley, Illinois, and resides in North Carolina with his wife and two daughters. While in the service he earned numerous awards and decorations and spent 13 years in the Special Operations Forces. His goal within the transportation industry is to become an owner-operator and mentor with Slay.
He graduated from the CDL program at the Fayetteville Technical Community College in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Meredith was one of five semifinalists. The other four were:
- Todd Kraus, a U.S. Army veteran who drives for Werner Enterprises
- Ondrae Meyers, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who drives for CRST
- Jessica White, a U.S. Army veteran who drives for Stevens Transport
- LaTravis Wilcox, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who drives for Prime Inc.
As first runner-up Meyers received a $10,000 prize and the remaining finalists received $5,000 each.
