Every year, TA-Petro recognizes the extraordinary drivers who represent values of citizenship, community involvement, health and wellness, leadership and safety. Since we launched the Citizen Driver Program in 2013, 31 professional drivers have been rewarded with the Citizen Driver title, and this year we are thrilled to name Carol Nixon as one of them.
Carol Nixon is a compassionate individual who walks through life with an optimistic attitude and a constant smile on her face. Growing up in Washington state, Nixon developed her adventurous spirit while helping her father at the local sawmill owned by her grandfather, and while watching her other family members haul logs for a living.
“I was always very interested in that,” Nixon said. “This wasn’t the type of career that was womanly. My dad was very against me doing something like that. It was a man’s job, but I didn’t want to be stuck somewhere. I wanted to be out on the road.”
Carol landed her first trucking job delivering groceries in northeastern Washington just after she turned 21. From there, she went on to haul everything from produce to construction belly dump trucks and has even worked for FedEx. From 2012 through spring of 2018, Carol worked for Walmart’s Private Fleet, where she felt right at home and valued for her hard work.
While Carol has been awarded a number of titles for her dedication to safe driving and community involvement, perhaps her most notable and inspiring act of kindness was when she donated one of her kidneys to save a stranger’s life.
Carol met a fellow Walmart driver, Deb Pollard, at the Women in Trucking conference in 2015. At that conference, Deb shared with Carol that her husband, Craig, was on dialysis and in need of a kidney transplant. Although Carol had never met Deb’s husband, she volunteered to give one of her kidney’s to Craig without hesitation.
Both surgeries were a success, and in November of 2016, Craig Pollard had a working kidney and no longer needed the support of dialysis.
“Carol is a special woman who puts other people before herself,” Deb Pollard said. “She is a very special person in every life she touches. Carol renews your faith in humanity with this selfless act of kindness.”
Carol received the “Good Sam” award from Walmart in 2016 for this noble act, and while being an organ donor means giving one of the most precious gifts of all, Carol’s altruistic attitude doesn’t stop there.
She served as an active member of the Walmart Heart program from 2012 through spring of 2018. Thanks to this program, Carol, and other members were able to give back to sick and special needs children by making them honorary Walmart truck drivers, complete with their own Walmart uniforms to wear on their truck rides.
Carol went the extra mile when she organized a local Walmart Heart event for a family with four special needs children. She coordinated a 13-truck convoy to take the family from Redmond’s Candy Factory to their local Walmart store where they were welcomed by staff and received food and lots of fun surprises.
Nixon is also a member of Women in Trucking (WIT) and was named WIT’s Member of the Month in March of 2017. She is a member of the WIT Image Team, which is comprised of knowledgeable, passionate and positive women who are experts in the trucking industry. As part of the team, Nixon and other female drivers participate in ride-along events for legislators, regulators, and industry leaders to provide a deeper understanding of the obstacles they face on the road.
When she isn’t representing Women in Trucking at tradeshows or ride-along events, Carol makes it a priority to donate clothes throughout the year to people in need, and she also takes part in programs that bring Christmas gifts to local underprivileged children.
It is without a doubt that Carol Nixon is a leader in many communities, on and off the road. Her motto of “Take pride in yourself, be persistent, work smart and hard, and never take no for an answer,” is most certainly reflected in everything she does, and we are proud to call her a Citizen Driver.
Does Carol’s story remind you of a driver you know? You can nominate them for our next group of Citizen Drivers. We will begin accepting nominations for the 2019 Citizen Driver honorees on June 1.