TravelCenters of America announced its second annual “Citizen Driver” Award recipients Friday during the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. The Citizen Driver Award recognizes professional drivers who help bring respect to the truck driving profession.

TravelCenters launched the Citizen Driver program in 2013. Citizen Drivers not only have an exemplary career in trucking, but they also are great examples of the kind of people who honor the profession of truck driving, according to the company, demonstrating good citizenship, safety, community involvement, and leadership.

The 2015 Citizen Drivers each picked his or her favorite TA or Petro Stopping Centers location, which will be renamed after them. Citizen Drivers also received a Citizen Driver Award package from TA and Petro.

The honorees are:

• Micheal Sheeds: Petro San Antonio, Texas, now the Micheal Sheeds Stopping Center

• Sandy Long: TA Oak Grove, Mo., now the Sandy Long Travel Center

• Richard Ash: TA Commerce City, Colo., now the Richard Ash Travel Center

• Robert Fernald: TA Willington, Conn., now the Robert Fernald Travel Center

• Gary Buchs: TA Bloomington, Ill., now the Gary Buchs Travel Center

“Citizen Driver is a way to recognize the best of the best in the truck driving community. It is not just about being good at their jobs, but for setting the example of being true leaders and individuals that others admire and respect," said Tom O’Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters.

TravelCenters accepted nominations for the Citizen Driver Award throughout last year,. Distinguished members of the trucking industry, Bill Graves, President and CEO of the ATA; Jim Johnston, President of OOIDA; Ellen Voie, President and CEO of Women In Trucking; Micah Jackson, Publisher for Target Media Partners; Deborah Lockridge, Editor, Heavy Duty Trucking; and on air trucking radio personalities, Eric Harley of Red Eye Radio; Dave Nemo of Road Dog Radio; and Steve Sommers of America’s Truckin’ Network, judged the submitted nominations and selected the honorees who excelled in the identified categories.

The 2016 Citizen Driver Award nomination form, rules and other information will be posted to the TA and Petro Stopping Centers web site in May 2015. Nominations will be accepted throughout 2015 and the new honorees will be announced at the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show.