Finalists Chosen for Goodyear Highway Hero Award

(Akron/TR) Finalists have been selected for Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s Highway Hero Award, given to a professional truck driver who shows heroism in his or her work. Journalists from the trucking industry are voting for the one driver who will be selected as the 2004 Goodyear North America Highway Hero and presented the award at the Truck Writers of North America annual banquet, Goodyear said.

The 2004 finalists will be introduced on 31 March at the Mid- America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Nominations include:

· Jose Ogas Jr., Fayetteville, North Carolina – TMC Transportation
· Pat Foraker, Quaker City, Ohio – Transport Corporation of America
· Rick Dent, Diana, Texas – Groendyke Transport Inc
· David Tucker, La Grande, Oregon – Seneca Foods Corp

Founded by Goodyear in 1983, the tire company’s Highway Hero program recognises professional truck drivers for providing life-saving rescues and roadside assistance. Each finalist risked his life to save another in an automobile accident or traffic stop, said Goodyear officials.