Little Rock, Ark. — The Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) named its 2025 Driver of the Year, Safety Professional of the Year, and Maintenance Professional of the Year during their annual awards luncheon at the Arkansas Trucking Association Conference and Vendor Showcase on April 29 in Little Rock.
Each year, ATA recognizes standout professionals in three critical roles: a driver for excellence in performance and safety, a safety professional for leadership and program effectiveness, and a maintenance professional for advancing fleet reliability and technician development. All member companies of the Arkansas Trucking Association are eligible to nominate drivers, safety and maintenance professionals for these awards.
Driver of the Year – Jessie King, FedEx Freight
King has accumulated more than 1.6 million consecutive accident-free miles across a 33-year, 3.6 million-mile career. Earlier this year, he received FedEx’s Master President’s Award for 25 years of safe driving.
He serves as an Arkansas Road Team Captain, promoting highway safety to students statewide, and is a consistent top performer at the Arkansas Truck Driving Championships, winning the Straight Truck division in both 2023 and 2025. In 2024, he was recognized nationally with the American Trucking Association Change Leader Award.
Safety Professional of the Year – Nate Lewis, Tyson Foods
Lewis, senior director of risk management – transportation at Tyson Foods, leads one of the industry’s most benchmarked safety programs. His work integrating emerging technologies and best practices has strengthened driver safety and reduced risk across operations.
He serves on the ATA Safety Management Council and the American Trucking Associations’ Truck Driving Championships Committee. A former state champion and multi-time national competitor in TDC events, Lewis brings both operational and hands-on credibility to his leadership in safety.
Maintenance Professional of the Year – Ross Hoover, Rush Truck Centers
Hoover, regional general manager at Rush Truck Centers, leverages more than two decades of experience to drive improvements in shop performance, technician engagement, and operational consistency. His emphasis on proactive maintenance and continuous improvement has strengthened fleet reliability.
A longtime industry contributor, Hoover is a past chairman of ATA’s Maintenance & Technology Council and has played a key role in technician development initiatives statewide. He actively supports diesel technology programs, workforce training, and career pathway development for the next generation of technicians.