As the leading organization managing commercial motor vehicle safety, enforcement and regulatory compliance throughout North America, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) created the International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA) to recognize the exceptional careers of professional commercial motor vehicle drivers and their commitment to public safety.
CVSA is now accepting nominations for the 2019 award. IDEA is open to large truck and motorcoach drivers in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and the nominees do not have to be a member of or affiliated with CVSA to apply. This award is open to the entire commercial motor carrier industry.
Now in its fifth year, IDEA recognizes individuals who go above and beyond the performance of their duties as a commercial motor vehicle driver through exemplary achievement of safe operation and compliance carried out with evident distinction for an extended period of time.
In order to be eligible, the nominee must have:
- At least 25 cumulative years of crash-free driving in a commercial motor vehicle with a clean driving record for the past three years
- No felony convictions
- No safety-related driving suspensions in the past three years
- No driver violations in the past three years, excluding form and manner violations
“As commercial motor vehicle inspectors, we encounter numerous safety conscious commercial drivers every day,” said CVSA President Capt. Christopher Turner with the Kansas Highway Patrol. “Yet, we realize that commercial drivers can sometimes be under-appreciated and their commitment to safety may go unrecognized. That’s why we, at CVSA, felt it was so important to support and acknowledge the hard work, notable accomplishments and long-term safety record of one extraordinary commercial motor vehicle driver each year.”
The deadline to submit the 2019 IDEA nomination form is Dec. 14, 2018. Once all the nomination packets are in, the IDEA Program Committee will review and authenticate the documentation, information and supporting materials. The committee will select its winner, which they will present to the CVSA Executive Committee for approval.
The IDEA winner will be announced and recognized nationally in March 2019 through a press release, as well as on the CVSA website and through social media. A feature article on the award winner will run in CVSA’s quarterly magazine, “Guardian.” The IDEA winner, and a guest, will be invited to attend the 2019 CVSA Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri, in April 2019, where he or she will receive a check for $2,500 and a crystal trophy during the event’s general session.
Learn more about the 2019 International Driver Excellence Award and download the nomination form.