While much of America suffers the ravages of a massive competence crisis that seems to make everything from electricity providers to airlines less reliable than they were even a few years ago, one trucker in Nebraska is making the news for doing quite the opposite in a huge way.
That would be Tim Dean of Nebraska. He’s 59 years old, a professional truck driver for Werner Enterprises, and he just managed to hit a whopping 5 million miles on the road, making him just the second person in his company’s history to do so. Even more impressively, he did all that without getting in a single accident.
Speaking to Fox News Digital about the massive milestone and his one-mile-at-a-time approach to driving safely, Mr. Dean said, “Milestones creep up out of nowhere after time. You think, ‘OK, that’s kind of cool. How did this happen? How did I get here?’ But I don’t set long-term goals. My goals are daily, as in — the next mile being safe.”
Continuing, Mr. Dean made sure to thank all the others whose sacrifices and efforts make his job possible, saying, “I think about how great this country is and know that I’m doing my part. The military plays a big part in our security. My part is delivering the goods that keep people fed, roofs over our houses and cars to drive. You just sit where you’re at right now and look at everything around you. It’s been hauled by a truck.”
Thanking the Lord as well, Mr. Dean said, “If the good Lord continues to provide me with good health, the team here at Warner and the family — they may want to see me go at least maybe seven more years.”
And, making sure to thank his family as well, Mr. Dean added, “Yeah, I did the driving, but a lot of people played a key part in me achieving five million. I give a lot of credit to my family for giving me a little extra drive to be safe and to Werner — the other drivers, the office, the management, all the top-to-bottom mechanics for keeping my trucks going. They all play a part in my success.”
Mr. Dean then explained how he got into trucking, saying, “Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, I watched semi trucks go by on Interstate 80, I always kinda wondered where those trucks were going. And after 35 years, I look out there and I still wonder. They’re going everywhere. They’re delivering all the goods throughout the country and being a part of that has been a gift.”
He also commented on some of his more interesting drives, such as when he hauled a load from Macon, GA, to Needles, CA, and when he carried a heavy computer and battery pack to the Gulf for an oil company. Describing yet another, he added, “when Omaha held the U.S. Olympic swim trials, I hauled the parts for the practice pool and delivered that. So over the years there’s been different things that I’ve been able to deliver and be a part of.”
But while Mr. Dean stayed humble, Werner bragged about him in a letter on its website, saying, “Dean joined Werner in 1988 and has received several accolades during his tenure with the company. In 2009-2010, he served as an ATA America’s Road Team Captain and has also been a Werner Road Team Captain and mentor since 2005. For 22 years, Tim has competed in the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships, placing first in his class nine times and earning Grand Champion recognition in 2012 and 2018. He was awarded the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance IDEA (International Driver Excellence Award) in 2019. In addition, Tim was named the Nebraska Trucking Association’s Driver of the Year in 2019.”
Similarly, Werner’s Chairman, President and CEO, Derek Leathers, said, “Today, we have the pleasure of showcasing what greatness looks like in the daily work of the American professional driver. It’s the accomplishment of waking up every day, working hard and delivering goods that matter, both safely and on time, to those who have entrusted us to do so. We commend Tim for his contributions to Werner and the industry as a whole and are incredibly proud of him for his unwavering commitment to safety over the last 35 years. We look forward to Tim’s continued success on the road as a professional driver, one safe mile at a time.”
‼️ TIM DEAN ACHIEVES 5 MILLION ACCIDENT-FREE MILES!
Join us in congratulating Tim on this incredibly rare milestone! We were joined by Tim's family, Charley, a lineup of honking trucks and more in Omaha today during a surprise celebration in his honor!
https://t.co/mblVmS5k5s pic.twitter.com/r7oiIKUQTM
— Werner Enterprises (@One_Werner) August 10, 2023
Featured image credit: Werner Enterprises Twitter
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