Prattville truck driver named Alabama Trucking Driver of the Year

Charlie Salter’s 36 years without an accident have now carried the Prattville truck driver to Alabama’s top driving honor, a recognition that puts local highway safety at the center of his career. Alabama Trucking named Salter, now an independent contractor with LB3 Inc. in Prattville, its 2026 Professional Driver of the Year after he logged 3.6 million accident-free miles and finished as the 2024 runner-up in the same competition.

The award was presented in March at the Alabama Trucking Association’s SMMC Fleet Safety Awards at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa. Clinton Seymour, Alabama Trucking’s senior director for safety intelligence and regulatory affairs, said Salter was among the most deserving candidates he had seen in a while. For Autauga County, the recognition is more than a trophy case moment. It is a reminder that the safest drivers on Alabama roads are often the ones hauling freight day after day through the same highways, intersections and construction zones local motorists use.

Salter’s record also reflects the pressure on trucking to recruit and keep experienced drivers. Alabama Trucking says its businesses provide 107,160 jobs statewide, about 1 out of every 15 jobs in Alabama, making trucking one of the state’s most important industries. In that environment, a driver with Salter’s combination of longevity, safety and public outreach stands out. He has been part of the Alabama Road Team for a decade, and the program, established in 2000, teaches motorists how to drive near large commercial vehicles while also promoting trucking career opportunities.

That public education work has taken Salter back into a classroom in Prattville High School, where he spoke with driver’s-ed students alongside his daughter, Maddie. She was 16 at the time and is now 17. Salter said hearing his daughter say she was proud of him for helping students and supporting the industry that has supported their family was the proudest moment he has had as both a trucker and a dad.

His award also follows one of the strongest competitive resumes in Alabama trucking. In 2023, Salter won the Alabama Truck Driving Championships Overall Champion award at the Pelham Civic Complex near Birmingham, beating more than 88 other competitors and taking the five-axle class title with a combined score of 387.5. That made him a two-time state grand champion, matching his 2017 victory. Alabama Trucking says he has also competed several times at the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships over the last 20 years, and the 2026 event is scheduled for Aug. 10-14 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.