Commercial truck drivers can be crucial to the country’s supply chain, but some serve as champions of safety on the road, acting as first responders in tough situations.
Timothy VanNostrand, 64, an owner/operator of his own logging transport company in Northville, New York, found himself springing into action while driving along Interstate 88 in June 2023.
“It happened so fast,” VanNostrand told Fox News Digital.
“It’s instinct more than anything else.” VanNostrand was passing a New York state trooper who had made a traffic stop that escalated into a shootout.
“I wasn’t 100% sure what I saw at first, but I saw the trooper kind of skip sideways a little bit,” VanNostrand said.
“And then I saw the shooter actually pull the gun in his car and start shooting right out through his own back window at the state trooper. A really intense shootout started, and bullets were flying.”
He used his logging truck to block the suspect from escaping during the 12-minute ordeal. “It’s a long time when you’re standing there listening to it,” VanNostrand said.
“You’re second-guessing yourself, but it turned out it was the right decision.” “It’s a long time when you’re standing there listening to it,” VanNostrand said.
“You’re second-guessing yourself, but it turned out it was the right decision.”
When backup arrived, the trooper, who had been wounded, was taken to the hospital and survived.
VanNostrand was later honored by the New York State Police and by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as a “Highway Hero.”
“The purpose of the Highway Hero program is to bring more awareness and appreciation to the powerful impact that commercial drivers can have on the roads, individuals’ lives and communities.”— Joe Burke, vice president of Goodyear North America Commercial Business
Goodyear announced it is accepting nominations for its 41st annual Highway Hero Award, recognizing commercial truck drivers for going the extra mile while on the job.
“The Goodyear Highway Hero Award is one way Goodyear recognizes the importance of the commercial trucking industry, which helps move 72.5% of the U.S. economy’s goods, according to American Trucking Associations,” Joe Burke, vice president of Goodyear North America Commercial Business, told Fox News Digital.
“Behind the wheels of those trucks are 3.3 million professional truck drivers who are not only a vital part of the supply chain industry, but they also act beyond their job duties to safeguard others on the roads.
“The purpose of the Highway Hero program is to bring more awareness and appreciation to the powerful impact that commercial drivers can have on the roads, individuals’ lives and communities.”
Each year around the holiday season, Goodyear seeks nominations for drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) who went above and beyond the call of duty to help others on the road.
Everyone from long-haul truckers to dump truck drivers, regional delivery and vocational vehicle operators and others are eligible for nomination.
Last year, VanNostrand and Elijah Ramos of Victorville, California, were named Highway Heroes for their acts of courage while on the road.
This is an example of a true heroic truck driver! I wish I could say that I would have done the same, but I was not there. If every driver on the road was as brave as this man right here. A criminal would definitely think twice before pulling a gun on law enforcement on the side of an interstate full of good samaritans.
We all need to work together on the road, instead of worrying about our social media and who texted you life.
Imagine if that truck driver was just looking at his phone, or FaceTiming someone instead of paying attention to that Trooper.
He saw what was happening because he was paying attention to the road.