A veteran driver from North Carolina is the winner of this year’s award given by an organization that teaches school children about trucking and how important it is in their lives.
Henry Albert, who owns Albert Transportation in Statesville, N.C., received the Gary King Memorial Trophy from the Trucker Buddy International organization during the recent Iowa 80 Trucker’s Jamboree in Walcott, Iowa. King founded Trucker Buddy International in 1992.
Albert has helped teacher Rachael Tann and her second grade students in Manheim, PA, to better understand the trucking industry.
“It’s not about me or winning awards,” said Albert. “It’s about showing children aspects of the trucking industry and the positive things that come out of it.”
Paul Abelson, a past Trucker Buddy International board member and write/editor for numerous trucking publications, presented the award.
“Henry is a stellar example of the superior and caring drivers who make the time to visit, to teach and to correspond with thousands of students throughout the year,” said Randy Schwartzenburg, executive director of Trucker Buddy International.
The late Gary King dedicated Trucker Buddy International to helping educate and mentor schoolchildren through a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades K-8. Trucker Buddy matches classes of students with professional truck drivers. Every week drivers share news about their travels with their class.
Albert, a 30-year veteran, also is a member of the Freightliner Run Smart Team, for which he writes a blog. He drives Freightliner Cascadia® Evolution truck with a Detroit™ DD15® engine.