Goodyear Begins Search for Highway Heroes
8 September 1997
Goodyear Begins Search for Highway Heroes
AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 8 -- Goodyear is once again enlisting
motorists' help as the company embarks on its 15th annual nationwide search
for heroic truck drivers to nominate as this year's National Highway Hero.
Founded by Goodyear in 1983, the program recognizes professional truck drivers
and the oftentimes unnoticed, life-saving rescues and roadside assistance they
provide as their jobs take them across the country on America's interstates
and country roads.
"Goodyear's National Highway Hero program promotes a positive image of
truck drivers by publicizing their countless good deeds," according to Donn
Kramer, marketing director for Goodyear's commercial tires. "We want to help
paint a true picture of the nation's truck drivers and shift the publics'
attention away from focusing solely on isolated and sensationalized negative
incidents."
Nominations for this year's program can be made through Sept. 30 by
calling 800-627-2118 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST), Monday
through Friday. All nominations are received by an independent marketing
services company where they are reviewed to ensure the following necessary
criteria are meet:
* nominee must be a full time truck driver
* nominee must reside in the U.S.
* the incident must have occurred in the U.S.
* nominee must be on the job or on the way to or from work, and in their
rig at the time of the incident.
* their truck at the time of the incident must have 14 wheels or more
* incident must have occurred between Oct. 1 of the previous year and
Sept. 30 of the current year.
Each year, nominations for the Goodyear National Highway Hero roll in from
motorist, fellow truck drivers, law enforcement officials and trucking company
representatives across the country. Previous years' nominees have
demonstrated a wide range of heroics -- from a driver who snatched a child out
of a swirling tornado's path to a driver who posts pictures of missing
children on the sides of his rig.
There are three phases in the program. First, the announcement of a
"Regional Highway Hero" for each of Goodyear's nine regions in which a driver
was nominated. Second, the announcement of four National Highway Hero
Finalists, chosen from the field of nine regional winners. Third, the
announcement of the National Highway Hero for the year and the three runners-
up in the program. The National Highway Hero is presented a $20,000 U.S.
Savings Bond in a special recognition ceremony and each of the runners-up in
the program receives a $5,000 bond.
Goodyear is one of the world's leading suppliers of new and retreaded
commercial tires to the replacement market and is a major supplier of medium
radial truck tires as original equipment to truck manufacturers.
SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
