DEADWOOD — The South Dakota Trucking Association (SDTA) held its 85th Annual Convention in Deadwood on Sept. 9-11.
Claude Raschke of Woonsocket, with Cliff Viessman, Inc., Gary, was honored with the title of 2020 Driver of the Year.
He was presented a plaque from SDTA and $1,000.
Each month the SDTA Safety Management Council selects a Driver of the Month to honor their safe driving accomplishments. Raschke was the December Driver of the Month.
The 12 monthly winners were invited to interview with a panel of three judges. Each were given six minute to interview. The drivers were asked the same three questions. The one who receives the highest accumulated score is then named the 2020 Driver of the Year.
It is very difficult to select one driver, especially when each driver has to their credit so many miles of safe driving.
The 12 monthly winners have a combined total of nearly 22,475,000 safe driving miles and over 309 years of experience. Each monthly winner was presented a plaque and an embroidered jacket for their accomplishments.
Raschke has been a professional truck driver for 26 years. He has 18 years over the road (semi-tractor + trailer), 5 1/2 years local (light duty). He has over two million accident- free miles logged in his career.
He has been active in the S.D. Truck Driving Championships, both a participant and a volunteer when working in the office. He placed third in the 5-axle class in 2019. The Truck Driving Championships is where drivers with no less than 12 months of accident-free driving can compete in a three part competition. The top winner from each class then goes to a national competition, sponsored by the American Trucking Associations, where they compete against winners from the states.
Raschke is a US Army Veteran. He and his wife Destine are a blended family with five children: Danyelle Raschke (28), Denver Raschke (26), Zach Reilly (22), Alexis Reilly (19) and Kacie Reilly (16).
