The editors of Heavy Duty Trucking have extended the deadline for nominations for HDT's 2025 Emerging Leader awards, honoring trucking’s next generation of up-and-coming fleet professionals.

If you, or someone you know, is under 40 years old and is making a significant impact at your company and/or in the trucking industry, submit a nomination for the HDT Emerging Leaders award. August 28 is the final deadline!

The honorees will be featured in Heavy Duty Trucking’s digital content and in the September/October print magazine.

Who is Eligible for HDT’s Emerging Leaders Award?

Heavy Duty Trucking’s editors launched the Emerging Leaders award program in 2016 to identify some of the up-and-coming leaders in the trucking industry and share their insights with others.

This award honors young leaders who work for a for-hire, private, government, or vocational fleet operating Class 7/8 trucks.

These leaders are influential in the trucking industry, innovative, and successful. They can point to outstanding accomplishments and demonstrate excellent leadership qualities.

Nominees can come from any part of a heavy-duty trucking fleet’s business — management, maintenance, sales, marketing, safety, IT, driver recruiting, training, or other roles. They should hold some level of leadership position, but that could be anything from a shop foreman to the C-suite.

How Do I Nominate an Emerging Leader?

Your nomination should explain how the candidate is making a meaningful impact, showing leadership, and building a strong record of success in their role and within the industry.

We are seeking individuals who:

• Are under 40 years of age

• Exhibit influential, innovative, and successful leadership

• Have outstanding accomplishments and demonstrated leadership capabilities

• Work for a for-hire, private, or government fleet operating heavy-duty trucks

Who Has Been Honored as a Heavy Duty Trucking Emerging Leader in the Past?

The 2024 HDT Emerging Leaders were:

• Xavier Alcala, Director of Business Solutions, Quality Custom Distribution (QCD), Frisco, Texas

• Samantha Bodnar, President, D.M. Bowman Inc., Williamsport, Maryland

• Emmanuel Carrillo, CEO, Talon Logistics, Chino, California

• Adam Cassidy, Director of Safety, Werner Enterprises, Omaha, Nebraska

• Tyler Dietrich, Director of Product – IT, Nussbaum Transportation Services, Hudson, Illinois

• Jason Douglass, Director of Retention & Recruiting, Stokes Trucking, Tremonton, Utah

• Chris Grato, Vice President, International Motor Freight (IMF), Port Newark, New Jersey

• Jessica King, President, Palletized Trucking Inc., Houston, Texas