ABOUT NFTDRF
A foundation built
on a single conviction.
The families of professional truck drivers deserve a safety net as strong as the one those drivers built for every supply chain in America. The NFTDRF exists to provide it.
“No one told us what to do. We had to learn everything the hard way while the hardest thing imaginable was happening.”
— A NFTDRF Family Member
OUR ORIGIN
It started with one family and no one to call.
In 2018, a professional driver — 22 years behind the wheel, clean record, family man — died in a crash on I-10 in West Texas. It wasn't his fault. Within days, his widow was fielding calls from creditors and funeral homes. There was no hotline. No emergency fund. No organization that understood what it meant to lose a truck driver specifically.
She called everyone she could think of. Trucking companies, unions, veteran organizations, general grief services. No one had a program built for her situation. She had to navigate everything herself — while burying her husband and explaining to three children why their father wasn't coming home.
The NFTDRF was founded the following year by people who heard that story and refused to let it be the norm. We built what should have already existed — a dedicated, professional, funded support structure for the families of professional drivers. That's all this is. And it's enough.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Values that run the operation.
These aren't aspirational statements. Every NFTDRF program and interaction is built around these four operating principles — enforced, not suggested.
Dignity Before Everything
Families come to us in the worst moment of their lives. Every interaction — every form, every call, every email — is designed to honor that reality. We move fast and we move carefully.
Earned, Not Given
Support is delivered without application friction, income tests, or bureaucratic review. A driver died. Their family qualifies. That is the standard.
Long-Term Presence
We do not disappear after the funeral. Grief doesn't follow a calendar. Our programs are structured for sustained support across the months and years that follow.
Radical Transparency
We publish our financials, our impact numbers, and our program costs. The families we serve — and the donors who fund us — deserve to know exactly where every dollar goes.
OUR HISTORY
Seven years. One mission.
From a single family with no one to call to a national foundation serving nearly 3,000 families across 48 states.
← Swipe to explore all 8 years →
The Catalyst
Fatal I-10 crash exposes a complete absence of support infrastructure for driver families. NFTDRF incorporated that fall.
First Dollars
501(c)(3) filed. Founding board assembled. $40K secured. $12,500 disbursed to first three families.
Helpline Live
Family Helpline launches with 6 volunteers. 847 calls answered in year one across TX, GA, and OH.
Scholarships
501(c)(3) confirmed. Four inaugural $2,500 scholarships awarded. 23-counselor referral network live.
Memorial Wall
First national searchable registry of fallen professional drivers. 214 honored in the first 12 months.
4-Star Rated
Charity Navigator 4-Star achieved. Schneider National joins as inaugural Legacy Corporate Partner.
Record Year
$1.4M disbursed — largest single-year total. 4,200+ helpline calls. All 48 contiguous states reached.
No Driver Forgotten
National awareness campaign live. 1,247+ drivers honored. Redesigned platform and family intake launched.
LEADERSHIP
The people behind the mission.
Backgrounds in transportation safety, social services, nonprofit finance, and family advocacy — many with personal connections to the industry.
“There was no one to call. We built the thing that should have already existed.”
Shakir Shafeek founded NFTDRF in 2018 after documenting firsthand the absence of support infrastructure for commercial driver families. With a decade of experience at the intersection of transportation safety and workforce advocacy, he has built NFTDRF from a concept into a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) organization serving nearly 3,000 families across all 48 contiguous states.
Board of Directors
Governing Body
Our board includes leaders from the commercial trucking industry, licensed family services professionals, and nonprofit finance — providing independent oversight, strategic accountability, and fiduciary governance.
Case Coordinators
Family Services
Trained case coordinators are the primary point of contact for every family NFTDRF serves — guiding them through financial assistance applications, counseling referrals, scholarship submissions, and Memorial Wall tributes.
Volunteer Staff
Helpline & Peer Support
Our 24/7 helpline is staffed entirely by trained volunteers — many of whom are bereaved family members themselves. They answer every call, every hour, every night of the year.
ACCOUNTABILITY
You should know exactly where your money goes.
NFTDRF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with Charity Navigator 4-Star status. We publish our annual Form 990 and full audited financial statements. Every dollar is tracked. Every program is measured.
We benchmark against the BBB Wise Giving Alliance standards and hold administrative overhead below 15% of total revenue — because every dollar that doesn't reach a family is a dollar we've failed to deploy.
EIN: 88-XXXXXXX · 501(c)(3) · Fiscal year data from most recent audited financials.
JOIN THE FOUNDATION
Every dollar stays close to the families.
82 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to program delivery — emergency assistance, scholarships, counseling, and the helpline.
Support Our MissionNFTDRF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. All donations are tax-deductible.