AKRON, Ohio - June 15, 2000 - A city pickup and delivery driver for Roadway Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROAD), John L. Cross, was named the "2000 Georgia Driver of the Year" at the Georgia Motor Trucking Association's (GMTA) annual awards dinner on May 20. Guy Young, vice president of the GMTA, presented a speech and the trophy to Cross. Ron Williams of Carolina Casualty Insurance, sponsor of theaward,presented the honoree with a check for five hundred dollars.
"John exemplifies all of the qualities that you would expect from an award winner," said Young. "His work is outstanding and his attitude is professional. He has answered the call to serve his employer, his community and other groups for more than 37 years. He is truly a caring and committed Christian spokesman for our industry."
The criteria for the selection of the driver of the year includes an
excellent driving record, superior work ethics, letters of commendation, a dedication to the industry and highway safety,Georgia residence and employment by a GMTA member carrier.
Cross stands out as one of the "Best of the Best" drivers in the
industry, domiciled at Roadway's Atlanta terminal. As a 37-year
professional driver/sales representative for Roadway, he has more than 16 years of safe driving, tallying over one million miles without a preventable accident. For this accomplishment, he received the Presidential Safety Citation from the company.
As a leader in his chosen career, he has been involved in all facets of safety within the organization. Cross was elected to Roadway's District V Road Team in 1995 and remains a member today. As a Road Team member, he travels throughout the region making presentations to civic organizations, media representatives and driver's education classes on how to safely share the road with commercial vehicles. In 1997, Cross was elected to the GMTA Georgia Road Team.
"Roadway is extremely proud of John for his achievements on behalf of the industry and for our company," stated Jim Staley, president and chief operating officer for the motor carrier. "His work ethic, attitude, rapport with employees and customers and community involvement are testament to his professionalism and his willingness to share his knowledge and safety commitment
with thousands of people."
Cross has received numerous honors from Roadway over the years, including "Your #1" award. His community involvement has garnered him several recognitions, including the Community Service Award in 1993 in Conyers, GA for his personal efforts and sacrifice to provide relief supplies to the residents of St.Genevieve, MO following a tremendous flood disaster. In 1997,he received the Community Service Award in recognition of the outstanding effort and support given to Metro Atlanta Furniture Bank.
Cross resides in Covington, GA and has three children, Sharon, Merry and John, Jr. and three grandchildren. He belongs to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 728.
An additional significance at the award presentation was the selection of Roadway as the 1999 General Commodities Less-than-Truckload Carrier for 20-30 million miles driven with an outstanding safety record for the state of Georgia.
Included on the Dow Jones Transportation Average, Roadway Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROAD) is a leading transporter of industrial goods with a variety of innovative services designed to meet customer needs. Roadway, an ISO 9002 certified carrier,provides seamless service between all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico with export services to 66 countries and six continents. The Company is dedicated to being the most reliable,responsive, efficient -- and safe --carrier in the industry. For more information, contact the Company at
www.roadway.com.
