On Monday, August 17, the Arkansas Trucking Association announced the Driver of the Year, Dave Hall, and Safety Professional of the Year, Leslie Stout. Hall is a driver for ABF Freight, a carrier headquartered in Fort Smith. Stout is the director of safety at CalArk International in Little Rock. Both honors were bestowed at the Safety Awards Luncheon during the ATA Annual Business Conference & Vendor Showcase in Rogers, Ark.
The statewide trucking association annually recognizes one driver for their strong and noteworthy professional qualifications, experience and performance and one safety professional for their qualifications, safety program and safety achievements.
Hall has driven over 3 million accident free miles in his 32 years in the industry.
He has been an ABF linehaul driver for five years and won the 2019 Grand Champion title at the Arkansas Truck Driving Championship. He also won first place in the 5-axle class at last year’s National Truck Driving Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is also a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and at his local church. When he is not driving, Hall enjoys golfing, camping and fishing.
In 2017, Hall was named an Arkansas Road Team Captain to serve as an ambassador for the trucking industry at schools and community events around the state where he talks about his job as a professional driver and how anyone can safely share the road with large vehicles.
In nominating Hall, Brent Lloyd, ABF’s linehaul operations manager, said, “If you excluded these great accomplishments, ABF would still have one of the best professional truck drivers on the road.”
Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, praised Hall for his impressive, professional reputation. “Dave is well-known and loved at his company, in his community, and even at our own annual events. He is a great man to know with an incredible safety record,” Newton said. “In a year when we’ve experienced the absolutely essential contributions of truck drivers, Dave stands out among our heroes.”
Stout has over 15 years of experience in the transportation industry and has served in leadership roles at the state and national level. She is involved with Arkansas Trucking Association Safety Management Council, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Crash Data and Investigation Standards group, Driver Traffic Enforcement group, International Road Check, as well as the Policy and Regulatory Affairs committee.
“She has pioneered multiple compliance programs for the organization and is always working towards the next steps to strengthen our safety culture. Leslie has demonstrated innovation and proactive leadership utilizing effective practices which have provided so much motivation to all our team members,” Malea McElyea, CalArk’s vice president of business development, wrote in her nomination letter. “From implementing new training programs for our drivers, developing new safety policies/programs, providing safety education to drivers and office personnel and much more, Leslie is a true motivation for people at all levels.”
Stout has been a regular volunteer with the Arkansas Truck Driving Championship committee. She has served as both the vice chair and chair of that group as well.
Arkansas Trucking Association president, Shannon Newton presented Stout with the Safety Professional of the Year title at the organization’s annual business conference in Rogers. According to Newton, “Leslie’s
accomplishments are a testament to her commitment to safety and our industry. We are so proud to have professionals like her representing trucking and our ability to deliver efficiently and safely to communities around the state and nation.”
All member companies of the Arkansas Trucking Association are eligible to nominate drivers and safety professionals for these awards.
