Nominations being taken for the Goodyear Highway Hero Award

Do you know a truck driving hero? The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company wants to hear the story. 

Goodyear is accepting nominations for its 33rd Highway Hero Award through Nov. 29, 2015.

The Goodyear Highway Hero Award was established in 1983 to honor truck drivers who put themselves in harm’s way to help others.

Goodyear will announce its 33rd Highway Hero Award winner next March during the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Ky.

The 32nd Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Clinton Blackburn, a truck driver from Morehead, Ky., rescued a law enforcement official who was being strangled by a prisoner he was transporting.
The previous year’s Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Ivan Vasovic, rescued a fellow truck driver from a burning tanker truck that was hanging over the side of a freeway overpass.

Other past Highway Hero Award winners include a truck driver who rescued a family of six from a crushed minivan, a driver who saved a woman from a gun-wielding attacker, and a driver who pulled an elderly man from a car before it was destroyed by an oncoming train. (For a list of past Goodyear Highway Hero Award winners, click here.)

“The Goodyear Highway Hero Award honors truck drivers who put their lives on the line to save others from deadly situations,” said Gary Medalis, director of marketing, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems.

“Over the last 30-plus years, we’ve heard hundreds of stories about the bravery and selflessness of truck drivers. If you know of a driver who deserves recognition for performing a heroic act, please let us know.”

To nominate a truck driver for Goodyear’s 33rd Highway Hero Award, go to the company's site, fill out the nomination form, and hit the “submit” button. This will send your nomination directly to Goodyear. For consideration, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a full-time truck driver
• Must reside in the U.S. or Canada
• The heroic incident must have happened in the U.S. or Canada
• Nominee’s truck must have had 12 wheels or more at the time of the incident
• Nominee must have been on the job – or on the way to and from work, in his or her truck – at the time of the incident
• Incident must have taken place between Nov. 16, 2014, and Nov. 16, 2015

After the Goodyear Highway Hero Award nomination period ends on Nov. 29, the list of eligible Highway Hero Award candidates will be narrowed down to three finalists. A panel of trucking industry judges will later select the 33rd Goodyear Highway Hero. (Final approval of Goodyear Highway Hero Award finalists and the Highway Hero Award winner is at Goodyear’s sole discretion. Finalists must clear background checks to Goodyear’s satisfaction.)