Heartland Express Announces Drivers of the Year
Heartland Express, Coralville, Iowa, honored one company driver and one owner-operator from each terminal with Driver of the Year honors
Heartland Express, Coralville, Iowa, honored one company driver and one owner-operator from each terminal with Driver of the Year honors.
Winners each received a Driver of the Year hat and jacket, a cash bonus, and a plaque. The winners were:
Iowa City terminal Company Driver of the Year: Dan Potsche, Haslet, Texas, runs "system" freight for Heartland and has been with the company since April 1991.
Iowa City terminal Owner-Operator Driver of the Year: Relden Jarrard of Washington, Iowa, has been with Heartland for 17 years and runs "system" freight.
Columbus/Northeast Company Driver of the Year: Barry Nagle of Mechanicsburg, Pa., runs the Northeast region out of Carlisle, Pa., and has been with Heartland only since November 1999.
Columbus/Northeast Owner-Operator Driver of the Year: Paul Lauffer has been running regional out of the Columbus terminal for 3-1/2 years.
Southeast Company Driver of the Year: Robert Pollard has been with Heartland since February 1995 and runs regional.
Southeast Owner-Operator Driver of the Year: John Platingos and his wife also own and operate a Greek restaurant in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
More Drivers

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools
Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.
Read More →
When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders
English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.
Read More →
Samsara Launches Custom AI Agent Builder
Agent Studio lets fleets create AI tools for hours-of-service monitoring, reporting and driver support, including agents that communicate by phone.
Read More →
Trucker Path Expands Reserved Parking Network
Trucker Path has added close to 6,000 more truck parking spaces to its Trucker Path Reserved Parking Network with the addition of Safe Truck Parking.
Read More →
EEOC Sues Texas Trucking Company Over Driver Age Limits
The agency says Trancasa USA rejected applicants over 65 and applied tougher driving-record standards to those over 60.
Read More →
Nussbaum, Roehl Announce Second Driver Pay Increase This Year
This year has seen a swath of major truck driver pay increases as freight capacity has tightened.
Read More →
From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
Read More →
Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert
Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.
Read More →
FMCSA Removes 110 Truck Driver Training Schools from Certified ELDT List
Federal regulators also are targeting more than 160 additional training providers and launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers as part of a broader crackdown on trucking fraud.
Read More →
Hours of Service Pilot Programs: FMCSA Readies for 2027 Rollout
Two pilot programs could eventually reshape hours-of-service rules, giving truck drivers options to pause their 14-hour clock or use longer split sleeper rest periods.
Read More →
