By Reagan Payne

Allen Parker is known by his community for his singing voice. He belts out a proud national anthem at the Jefferson County Speedway in Nebraska and before local minor league baseball games.

Parker and his wife, Connie, also tour in his off-time. They venture out to churches and gospel music events to preform songs from their four studio-recorded albums.

Parker is also known by his driving peers for participating in the World’s Largest Truck Convoy® for Special Olympics. This one-day celebration, done in conjunction with the trucking industry’s allied partners and law enforcement, raises funds for the Special Olympics.

In the trucking industry, Parker is known for his stellar safe-driving history. In his 34 years at Werner Enterprises, he has driven over four million accident-free miles.

All these attributes led to his nomination and winning the annual Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Driver Excellence Award. Along with this honor comes a crystal trophy and a $2,500 check.

“This year, especially, the Alliance is honored to award a commercial motor vehicle driver for his safe-driving record and contributions to the community and the trucking industry,” said CVSA President Sgt. John Samis with the Delaware State Police. “We, in the commercial motor vehicle enforcement community, know how important commercial drivers are to the fabric of our society. But when the pandemic hit, the public quickly realized that almost everything we need is transported by truck, driven by a truck driver, at some point within the supply chain. 

“Nominating Mr. Parker was Werner’s way of saying thank you. And selecting and naming him as this year’s IDEA recipient is CVSA’s way of saying thank you.”

This is not Parker’s first bout of recognition. Werner recognized this man with several Safe Driver Awards and an award for each accident-free million-mile milestone. He has also received several of the President’s Safe Driving Awards from the Nebraska trucking association.

“My reaction upon hearing the fantastic news that I’d received the International Driver Excellence Award was to be humbled,” said Parker. “To be acknowledged by CVSA is truly an honor.

“My job offers opportunities to meet new people every day and see new parts of the country. I enjoy being outdoors and not confined to an office with walls. The sunrise ahead of me and the sunset behind me are my only boundaries.”

Reagan Payne is a staff writer for Wright Media. She can be reached at rpayne@wrightmediacorp.com.