The trucking industry lost one of its own Feb. 23 in Iraq. According to truckline.com, truck driver Albert Luther “Al” Cayton died after he and three other Department of Defense civilian transportation employees were attacked. An explosive device hit their truck.

The identities of the three surviving passengers have not been released.

Cayton had been working in Iraq since June 2003. He signed up for work in Iraq after his 32-year employer, Consolidated Freightways, folded. As a convoy commander in Iraq, Cayton supervised truck drivers from many countries and was promoted to an even higher supervisory position.

While employed by CF, Cayton was chosen as a member of America’s Road Team in 1996 and served as captain. He was also honored as a safe driver with more than 3 million accident-free miles. In 2002, he was selected to haul 16 tons of steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center to California, according to the Teamsters. The steel remnants were to be used to make two memorials to honor New York firefighters and police.

Cayton is survived by his wife, Karen, a daughter and two sons.