After receiving over 3,000 stories of hard working men and women in the trucking industry, we are excited to announce our Road Warrior finalists.
Congratulations to the $10,000 grand prize Road Warrior winner, Eric Britton!
We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off Driver Appreciation than celebrating his win with him, his coworkers and his family. We surprised him at First Fleet with a video congratulating him. Check out Eric’s reaction on being named the 2020 Road Warrior!
We also awarded second place winner, Zdenko Zalac with a $5,000 prize and third place winner, Mona Beedle with a $2,500 prize. Nominators of the grand, second and third place winners also received a $500 prize.
Learn more about the 2020 Road Warrior finalists:
Grand Prize: Eric Britton
As a United States Army veteran, Eric Britton spent much of his 15 years of service as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. However, in his last few years of service, Eric became a truck driver for the Army, where he delivered goods and supplies needed to help his fellow soldiers. In 1999, he retired from the military and continued to serve as a professional driver for First Fleet and, later, become a safety driver trainer in addition to driving. In 2018, First Fleet recognized Eric’s 19 years and two million miles with the safe driving award and this upcoming October, Eric will celebrate a total of 21 years with First Fleet. Nominated by his wife, Eric’s positivity and work ethic continues to shine within his surrounding communities.
Second Place: Zdenko Zalac
Zdenko Zalac has been a professional driver for over 20 years with over three million accident free miles, traveling throughout 49 states, including Alaska. Zdenko is known for helping other drivers in the community whether it’s buying meals, donating showers or assisting with repairs. When he’s not driving, Zdenko is back home in Akron, OH helping his community by feeding the homeless, donating tents and providing clothing to help the less fortunate. In addition, he and his wife regularly cook Thanksgiving dinner feeding 250 homeless community members on behalf of Akron Snow Angels.
Third Place: Mona Beedle
Mona Beedle has been a professional driver since 1989 and continues to be a strong advocate for women drivers across the country. She writes a monthly column called “Glamour to Grease” for the trucking blog, 18wheelsandheels and is a member of Women in Trucking, a non-profit organization that encourages and promotes the employment of women in the industry. Drawing from her strong faith, Mona also founded a ministry called Trucking Angels for Christ, Inc. where she sets up at various trucking expos, offering free materials such as bibles and CDs for pro drivers who are interested.
This year’s Road Warrior contest we also randomly selected 400 professional drivers from Road Warrior entries to reward them each with 5,000 myRewards™ loyalty points, a $50 in-store value, for their dedication through the COVID-19 pandemic.
To read more about the Road Warrior winners and learn about the contest, visit pilotflyingj.com/road-warrior-2020.
Congrats to Eric, Zkenko and Mona! Thank you to all of the Road Warriors working hard to keep our country moving.
