Romanian born, Gica Maga was recognized as the January 2012 Driver of the Month. Living in Choctaw, OK, 11 months out of the year, Gica returns to his home in Romania the remaining month of the year. During the early 1980s, he immigrated to Austria. A few years later he came to the United States seeking political asylum.
Trained as a truck driver in Romania, he moved to Portland, OR, in 1983. His children and ex-wife had relocated there earlier. The first job he had was picking up debris and policing an outside area for a grocery store. After saving his money, he travelled to Indiana to attend a CDL school. This license allowed him to gain valuable driving experience while delivering fresh produce from the west coast to the east coast.
In March of 2010 Gica rejoined the “Elite” fleet as a company driver. He had driven for a fleet owner earlier, who had leased his trucks on with NCI. When the owner left NCI, Gica left with him. At that time NCI did not have company trucks. Later, Gica was delighted to find an opportunity available for him at National Carriers when the fleet owner went out of business. Gica now hopes to work for NCI until he retires.
Driver Manager, Bill Duncan states, “When he is working, Gica stays out on the road and takes care of business. He is one of the most honest, hard- working drivers I have ever worked with. He is very dependable, has a positive attitude and, overall, he’s just a great person.”