America's Road Team Captain Stephen Richardson Honored at White House
America's Road Team Captain Stephen Richardson, a 19-year driver for Big G Express, Inc., was honored Thursday, April 16 at the White House by President Donald Trump along with other commercial truck drivers and the industry as a whole. Richardson, who called the occasion “the experience of a lifetime he will never forget,” hailed his fellow truck drivers for keeping the supply chain connected and essential workers supplied.
“Just being on the White House lawn and seeing the trucks….and getting the honor and respect that I think the 3.5 million truck drivers deserve, it was just heartwarming. It’s not personally me, it’s all of us out there doing our jobs,” Richardson said. “The mechanics, the technicians, and the people who keep us running, they need to also be recognized.”
President Trump expressed deep thanks to truck drivers on behalf of the country saying, “At a time of widespread shutdowns, truck drivers form the lifeblood of our economy …They’re always there. In the war against the virus, American truckers are the foot soldiers who are really carrying us to victory. And they are. They’ve done an incredible job… and we want to thank you very much.”
Richardson, an army veteran who has logged more than two million accident-free miles with Big G Express, is an excellent representative for the profession. He was Big G’s Driver of the Year in 2013, the Tennessee Trucking Association Driver of the Year in 2014, and the Truckload Carriers Association Driver of the Year for 2017.
Richardson has served as a Tennessee Trucking Association Road Team Captain and an American Trucking Associations Road Team Captain. To achieve this distinction, he was judged on his ability to express his knowledge of the industry, his skills in effective communication about safety and transportation, and his overall safe-driving record. In his 30-year driving career, he has over three million accident-free miles.
During his remarks at the ceremony, Richardson noted his pride at being a part of Big G, a 100% ESOP (employee-owned) company. “We own the company,” he said. “That makes me very proud to know I’m part of this organization.” To this, President Trump remarked, “You’re rich!”
Richardson went on to praise Jack Daniel’s Distillery for switching from whiskey production, to making hand sanitizer. “By me hauling their barrels, it allows the company on the front end to do something for agriculture in our area, also allows the company to make hand sanitizer – which I think is great.”