Arkansas Trucking Association gives scholarships to 2 graduates

The Arkansas Trucking Association announced Thursday (June 15) that two Arkansas graduating seniors will each receive $7,500 in scholarships from the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund as they pursue careers as truck technicians.

The recipients are Bass Burroughs of Mount Vernon in Faulkner County and William Warren of Floral in Independence County. They both plan to attend Arkansas State University-Beebe in Searcy this fall, and the scholarships will help to support their education and training in medium/heavy-duty truck technology.

“Trucking is at the forefront of many evolving technologies like autonomous vehicles and collision-mitigation systems,” said Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. “It is critical that we continue to recruit new talent who can not only keep our trucks moving safely down the road but also equip us for what’s next. I am honored to welcome Bass and William to our industry and look forward to watching them lead us into the future. Our industry is over a century old, but what we do and what we deliver today is still as relevant as it was 100 years ago.”

In May, Burroughs graduated from Mt. Vernon-Enola High School in Mount Vernon. He started earning credits in the diesel technician program of ASU-Beebe while in high school.

Warren also did this while attending Pangburn High School in White County. He graduated from the high school in May.

“Since we created the fund to honor Carl Tapp’s memory, we have been able to provide $90,000 in scholarships to 12 students interested in joining our field,” said Kenneth Calhoun, founding member of the scholarship committee. “Bass and William were selected from a competitive candidate pool and have already demonstrated a commitment to and knack for maintenance and technology. The caliber of this year’s recipients and those who preceded them gives me great confidence in the future of the trucking industry.”

The Arkansas Trucking Association’s Maintenance & Technology Council established the scholarship to celebrate Carl Tapp, the council’s first chairman, and his commitment to developing new industry talent. Nearly 30 trucking companies, industry participants and other organizations support the scholarship program, including ArcBest, Doggett Freightliner of Arkansas, JM Bozeman Enterprises, Calhoun, Maverick Transportation, McKee Foods Transportation, MHC Kenworth Leasing, Rush Truck Centers, the Tapp family, TLG Peterbilt and the University of Central Arkansas.