NPTC/Lytx Induct Four into Driver Hall of Fame

ARLINGTON, VA –

Four truck drivers who have together logged more than 12 million miles of safe driving in approximately 146 combined years of service were honored by the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) and inducted into the NPTC/Lytx, Inc. Driver Hall of Fame during the Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition held April 13-15, 2014 in Cincinnati, OH.

The drivers are from NPTC member companies and have met the minimum qualifications of 20 years, three million miles or 50,000 hours of driving without a preventable accident. Many of the drivers have far exceeded these qualifications and are known for having made significant contributions to their industry and their communities. Since its inception, 104 drivers have been installed in the Driver Hall of Fame. This year’s Driver Hall of Fame inductees are:

Roger J. Herron with Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc. in Frewsberg, NY

Roger’s professional driving career spans more than 37 years and three million miles, the last 30 of which have been with Upstate Niagara, where he has driven more than 62,400 hours and two million miles. He drives in both city and over-the-road applications delivering milk and dairy products, working 40- 50 hours a week in a typical week, while driving about 600 miles primarily in Western New York. In that time, he has never had a moving violation or a chargeable accident. In fact, the only two blemishes on his record were two deer strikes – one in which the deer actually ran into the side of his unit.

He started driving when he was 12 years old, driving a tractor on a neighbor’s farm. It was there that he learned to drive anything that had wheels, including loaders, tractors, self-propelled harvesting equipment, and even the farm truck in the fields. In 1977, he went to work for Barmore-Sellstrom, Inc., a tire repair and auto mechanics firm, learning the importance of proper tire care and maintenance. In 1981, he went to work for Interstate Brands Corp., where he learned about quality customer service as well as proper product rotation. Even when he’s not driving, he loves to drive – he still drives a school bus as a substitute and has a motorcycle license.

Robert Anthony Purcell with Contract Transportation Systems/The Sherwin-Williams Company in Teutopolis, IL

For the past 25 years, Tony has hauled and delivered paint, paint products and hazardous materials loads for Sherwin Williams, where he has accumulated more than 2.5 million miles without an accident or violation of any kind. His current runs take him throughout 13 Midwestern states driving 2,500 miles per week and delivering to stores in small shopping centers, downtowns and historic areas. In fact, during his 36 year career behind the wheel, he has racked up 3.5 million miles without an accident or violation.

A certified Smith System trainer, Tony began his driving career at the age of 18 in 1978, driving a straight truck for Murdock Distributors. In 1986, he went to work for Koerner Distributors, which had acquired Murdock, driving over the road. He joined Sherwin Williams in 1989. For Tony, safety begins with the trip planning to deliver to his customers in a safe manner. He completes all trip reports and paperwork completely, accurately and on-time. He also trains, reaches, and coaches the rest of the fleet in how to work and act safely. He is a Smith System instructor and completes all company training initiatives including courses on blood borne pathogens, ergonomics, hazardous materials, load securement, among many others.

Raymond G. Sanderson with Kraft Foods Group, Inc. in Champaign, IL

Ray has spent his entire 35-year driving career with Kraft Foods. During that time, he has accumulated more than three million hauling food products in both over-the-road and city runs without a chargeable accident or a moving violation. He started working for Kraft in 1976 in the plant in Champaign, IL and soon was named upgrade lead man on the second shift. Two years later, he seized the opportunity to go to work for the Kraft Private Fleet, making him, at the time, the youngest person to drive a truck with Kraft. However, that was not his first driving experience. That happened at age 18 when he went to work for Ray’s Shell in Decatur, IL where he drove a tow truck hauling semi-trucks and cars.

For the first 13 years at Kraft, he was a team driver, working first with Steve Royse, an NPTC Driver Hall of Fame inductee in 2012. He ran team operations throughout the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast for the next 13 years. For the past 20 years, he has run 325-550 miles per day throughout the Midwest, primarily the Chicago area. In 1997, he founded SMART (Safe Motorists Always Respect Trucks), an Illinois high school driver’s education class. At the same time, he was asked by Kraft to get more involved in driver training. He remains active in both to this day.

Nathan Tandal with CPC Logistics, Inc. assigned to Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC in Federal Way, WA

In 38 years of driving, Nathan has driven more than three million miles without an accident or a moving violation of any kind. Nathan learned to drive working for his father’s auto wrecking business on the island of Oahu, Hawaii at the age of 16, hauling junk cars that had already been crushed and loaded onto a flatbed. Two years later, he joined the U.S. Army as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic and Operator. While serving, he drove buses, semi-troop carriers, and other heavy equipment in the United States and abroad. He received 11 Meritorious Service Medals, six achievement Ribbons, five Expert Skill Badges; nine Career & Advance Individual Training Schools, including National Defense Service Medal and the Army Achievement Medal, just to name a few.

After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he started working for Penske Truck Leasing in Tukwila, WA as a fueler, garage man and repairman for the next four years. In 1999, he joined CPC Logistics, where he was assigned to the Bridgestone private fleet. There he has driven for nearly 1.2 million accident and violation-free miles. He is responsible for moving loaded trailers on a daily basis from the Bridgestone warehouse in Portland, OR to the drop yard in Tukwila, WA, a run of 332 miles a day.

NPTC/Lytx, Inc. Driver Hall of Fame Inductees are (from left) Roger Herron, Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc.; Tony Purcell, Contract Transportation Systems/The Sherwin-Williams Company; Raymond G. Sanderson, Kraft Foods Group, Inc.; and Nathan Tandal with CPC Logistics, Inc. assigned to Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC.

About NPTC

Founded in 1939, the National Private Truck Council is the only national trade association exclusively representing the interests of the private truck industry and corporate/business private truck fleet management. With an actively engaged leadership team of Board representatives, member volunteers and staff, NPTC in the past decade has grown significantly to serve a rising professional class of private fleet practitioners meeting the challenges of modern corporate transportation. NPTC is the leading learning resource center, government affairs advocate, and business networking culture for America’s top private fleet and supplier member companies. The Council produces benchmarking, best practices, and economic data reports on the private fleet market; administers the highly regarded Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) training program, and conducts some of the most successful events in the trucking industry including the Annual Conference and Trade Show, the Private Fleet Management Institute, and the National Safety Conference. For more information about the Council’s activities and programs, visit our website at nptc.org.