ABF Freight driver receives prestigious national trucking industry award

Ralph Garcia, a driver for Fort Smith-based ABF Freight System, has received the Mike Russell Trucking Image award from the American Trucking Associations’, one of the top honors in the national trucking sector.

Garcia, who lives in Rio Rancho, N.M., began his career as a professional truck driver more than 37 years ago and since then has accumulated more than 3.5 million accident-free miles. He was nominated by his company, ABF Freight System, for the Mike Russell Trucking Image Award and has been with the company for the last 23 years.

The Mike Russell Trucking Image Award celebrates companies, organizations, and individuals who creatively generate positive awareness of the trucking industry.

“Ralph has been an exceptional voice for the trucking industry for decades and we are all very thankful for the work he has done to improve the industry’s image,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves noted in a statement. “Ralph’s nationwide work as an America’s Road Team Captain has made a tremendous impact on highway safety and he has been an example of professionalism throughout his career.”

Garcia is a 17 time New Mexico Truck Driving Champion and in 2009 was named the state Grand Champion. He has competed at the National Truck Driving Championships 33 times and has claimed one 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finish while competing. In 2013, Garcia was awarded the Neil Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award by the National Truck Driving Championship Committee. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the industry, the New Mexico Trucking Association recently created the Ralph Garcia Award to recognize outstanding drivers, making Garcia the first recipient.

In his role as an America’s Road Team Captain, Garcia spends time each month speaking to schools, community groups, news media, legislators and industry and government officials about highway safety and the role of the trucking industry. He was also recently featured by Healthy Trucker as an advocate for spreading wellness messages to other professional truck drivers and industry employees.