Army Veteran Takes over Mother’s Trucking Company After her Sudden Death

“She was everything to me,” said Ashley of Noemi, her mother. “There was never a time we were without because she was always — she was always working.”

Ashley Leiva served as Sergeant First Class in Senior Culinary Management in the Army for 15 years but ended her career 6 months early when her mother suddenly fell ill.

After driving trucks for her own company for 20 years, Noemi was hoping to retire, but when she suddenly got sick and quickly passed away in February 2021, Ashley and her brother made other plans.

The two took CDL classes, earned their commercial licenses, and took the company into their own hands, with a new name, in honor of their mother. What was formerly known as Leiva Trucking, is now Noemi Trucking.

Ashley says she now can’t imagine doing anything else but driving trucks. “I love it. It’s something I’ll do for the rest of my life,” she said. “Just having that name stick around – it just means a lot.”

Ashley has since been nominated for the Chamber of Commerce Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award program.