Daryus Jones is the lone local driver to be selected for the Elite 11 in the 2026 Transition Trucking: Driving For Excellence Award program. DJ also has the honor of being the final member of the Elite 11 to be featured as part of our special Destinations series that is continuing to cover this year’s Driving For Excellence Award.

As you will hear in this episode, DJ’s transition to trucking actually began during his four years of military service in the Army, where he worked in logistics handling recovery missions and moving supplies in the field. It was in the Army that DJ developed a passion for trucking while working in Poland and traveling on the road through Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Germany and other countries.

When considering his options with trucking after the military, DJ wanted to stay close to home. DJ and his wife, Vanessa, have four children who range in age from 11 through two years ago. DJ also serves as the head coach for the youth football team, and his oldest son, Aiden, is a standout offensive lineman on the team.

Securing his CDL through Tulsa Tech’s Driver Professional Driver Program, DJ landed a local job with Anheuser-Busch, running routes throughout the Tulsa and Broken Arrow area of Oklahoma. As he shares with us, DJ’s days start well before dawn, arriving at the distribution center most days between 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. The early start allows him to be ready to lead football practice in the afternoons during the Fall.

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