Trucker Named TCA Highway Angel for

Assisting Elderly Man In Traffic

November 19th, 2024

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has named truck driver Joel Perez, from Pembroke Pines, FL, a TCA Highway Angel for assisting an elderly man whose car broke down in the middle of the highway in rush hour traffic. Perez works for ABF Freight out of Ft. Smith, AR.

It’s a story of kindness and bravery: On October 31, 2024, Perez was driving on the Palmetto Expressway around 9 a.m. in Miami, heading northbound. In the heavy traffic, he noticed a vehicle was blocking two left lanes of traffic.

“It was an old man broken down,” Perez said. “Nobody stopped to help the guy, so I stopped.”

Perez exited his vehicle and proceeded to help the 76-year-old man by pushing his vehicle off to the shoulder of the road to eliminate the potential for a very serious crash.

“I pushed his car by myself—nobody helped me,” he said, noting that people were honking at the man blocking traffic. Perez took the time to stop to help the man avoid being in a more serious accident as a result of being broken down on the highway.

Since the TCA Highway Angel program’s inception in August 1997, nearly 1,400 professional truck drivers have been recognized as TCA Highway Angels for exemplary kindness, courtesy, and courage displayed while on the job. Thanks to the program’s presenting sponsor, EpicVue, and supporting sponsors, DriverFacts and Northland Insurance, TCA is able to showcase outstanding drivers like Mr. Perez.

The TCA Highway Angel website can be accessed at https://www.truckload.org/highway-angel/.