2025 Scholarship Cycle Now Open — Applications Close June 30

The National Fallen Truck Driver Remembrance Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2025–2026 academic year scholarship cycle. The application window closes June 30, 2025. Awards of up to $5,000 are available to eligible recipients, and recipients may reapply in subsequent years as long as eligibility criteria are met.

Who Is Eligible

The program is open to two groups: dependent children of professional truck drivers who died in the line of duty, and surviving spouses of professional truck drivers who died in the line of duty and are pursuing post-secondary education or a vocational certificate program. "Professional truck driver" is defined as any individual who held a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and was actively employed in commercial trucking at the time of death. Part-time and owner-operator drivers are eligible. The driver's death must have occurred within the past seven years to qualify.

There is no GPA threshold for eligibility. The selection committee evaluates applications on financial need, demonstrated connection to the driver's memory, and the applicant's stated educational goals. The Foundation does not require a specific major or career path — Aaliyah Hill studied nursing; another 2024 recipient is pursuing a welding certificate at a technical college in Oklahoma; a third is finishing a business degree in Colorado.

Award Amounts and Annual Volume

The Foundation awarded 28 scholarships in the 2024–2025 cycle, totaling $112,000. Individual awards ranged from $2,500 to $5,000 depending on demonstrated financial need and available funds in the scholarship pool. The 2025–2026 cycle is funded to support a minimum of 30 awards. The Foundation expects to announce recipients in late July, with funds disbursed directly to the recipient's institution by August 15 for fall enrollment.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted online at nftdf.org/scholarships. The required materials include: a completed application form, a copy of the driver's CDL or documentation of commercial trucking employment, a brief personal statement (500–750 words) describing the applicant's educational goals and their relationship to the driver, and documentation of enrollment or acceptance at an accredited institution or vocational program. No letters of recommendation are required.

"We kept the application process as simple as we could on purpose. A family that just lost someone shouldn't have to write a dissertation to get help. Tell us who your person was. Tell us where you're going. That's enough." — Dr. Renee Holloway, Chair, NFTDRF Scholarship Committee

Where Past Recipients Are Now

Aaliyah Hill — daughter of Werner Enterprises driver Marcus Hill — graduates from Georgia State University with a nursing degree in May 2025 and has accepted a position in the ICU at an Atlanta hospital. Jordan Espinoza, son of a Roehl Transport driver from New Mexico, completed his associate degree in diesel mechanics in December 2024 and is now apprenticing at a commercial vehicle shop in Albuquerque. Both credit the scholarship with enabling them to stay enrolled through a financially difficult year.

Apply Before June 30

The June 30 deadline is firm. Applications submitted after midnight on June 30 will be held for the 2026–2027 cycle. Families with questions about eligibility or the application process can call the NFTDRF helpline (24/7, answer time under 2 minutes) or email info@nftdrf.org. Foundation staff typically responds to email inquiries within one business day.