AKRON, Ohio The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today urged the public to nominate a Goodyear North America

Highway Hero for (U.S.) National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Aug. 21-27.

The annual Appreciation Week recognizes America’s 3.24 million drivers for their hard work in transporting the goods and products that make up the national economy.

“What better way to celebrate America’s truck drivers than to nominate one for the trucking industry’s most prestigious award for heroism?” Steve McClellan, Goodyear vice president for commercial tire systems, asked. “There are many who deserve to be nominated as stewards of our highways.”

Last year, nominations were made for drivers who risked their lives in an automobile accident or traffic stop. One driver, McClellan said, died trying to save others. Several others were injured.

“We are thankful for these courageous truck drivers who travel our highways. In the 22 years of the Goodyear Highway Hero program, we have heard about hundreds of truck drivers who placed themselves in harm’s way to save someone else, and we believe it is important that they be recognized and celebrated publicly.”

Nomination forms and program details can be obtained by calling the Goodyear Highway Hero Hotline at (330) 796-8183 or at www.goodyear.com/truck/whatsnew/heroes.html.
Send completed forms to Goodyear Highway Hero Award Headquarters, Dept. 798A, 1144 E. Market St., Akron, OH 44316.

All nominations are reviewed to ensure the following criteria are met:

Nominee must be a full-time truck driver and reside in the United States or Canada;
The incident must have occurred in the United States or Canada;
Nominee must be on the job or on the way to or from work, and in his/her rig at the time of the incident;
Nominee’s truck at the time of the incident must have 14 wheels or more;
Nominations must be received by Nov. 30, 2005;
Incident must have occurred between Nov. 16, 2004, and Nov. 15, 2005, to qualify for this year’s program.

Founded by Goodyear in 1983, the Highway Hero program recognizes professional truck drivers and the often unnoticed, life-saving rescues and roadside assistance they provide as their jobs take them across North America.