NPTC/Lytx Induct Four into Driver Hall of Fame

ARLINGTON, VA – Four truck drivers who have together logged more than 15 million miles of safe driving in approximately 153 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 26-28, 2015 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:

William “Buddy” Brawley
Unifi Manufacturing, Inc.
Yadkinville, NC

Buddy started his driving career in 1978 and has racked up more than 3.2 million miles of accident free driving since then.

He has hauled milk tankers through the mountains of North Carolina, petroleum tankers; and pneumatic tanks with various employers before joining Unifi Manufacturing in 1994, where he has achieved more than 1.8 million miles, all without an accident or a moving violation. He currently drives various routes throughout Virginia and the Carolinas, working about 48 hours each week and driving just shy of 2,000 miles.

He has won numerous safe driving recognitions including 21 years of safe driving from Unifi, the 2012 National Safety Council Regional Best South Atlantic, the 2010 Truck Renting and Leasing Association National Driver of the Year, and the 2007 North Carolina Trucking Associating driver of the year. He is a multi-year winner in the Unifiy Trucking Driving Championships and the North Carolina Truck Driving Championships and serves as a driver trainer and on the accident review committee.

He is a member of the river City Church, the Courtney Raritan Club and he enjoys playing bass guitar and riding horses. He and his wife Robin have two children and two grandchildren.

Stephen Edwards
Sherwin Williams Company/Contract Transportation Systems
Phoenix, AZ

In more than 40 years behind the wheel, Steve has achieved more than three million miles of safe driving – no accidents or moving violations of any kind. He has spent the last 28 years at Sherwin Williams where he has driven more than 76,000 hours, maintaining his perfect safety record. He averages about 50 hours and 1,500 miles a week delivering paint to local retail outlets.

Steve got his start right out of high school with Hecla Mining where he learned to drive a five-speed main with a four-speed splitter. That experience was valuable when he went to work for Longyear Drilling, hauling oversize permitted loads. He then helped start a family trucking company in Reno, which provided him experience in less-than-truckload hauls and double trailers. From there, he joined Sherwin William in 1987. He has served on the safety review committee, conducted training for drivers of yard tractors and keeps upgrading his own skills with various training programs.

Mark W. Hannon
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.
Jamestown, NY

Mark has been driving professionally for 38 years, all but two of which have been with Upstate Niagara. In that time, he has surpassed 2.1 million miles (two million miles and 70,500 hours with Upstate Niagara) without an accident or a moving violation – a feat made more remarkable in the harsh, winter environment where he resides.

He started his career in 1977 with Banner Beverage driving a straight truck delivering beer and soda. He learned to drive a tractor-trailer in 1979 and joined Upstate Niagara delivering milk and dairy products. In the interim he earned his school bus endorsement in 2005. For the past 10 years, he has spent two days a week in city driving and two days in country driving.

A winner of numerous internal safety awards, Mark prides himself for keeping the customer needs and the image of the company paramount in his mind. “I have viewed every day as an opportunity to work hard providing a valuable service to my community and, in so doing, model for my two sons and daughter the importance of accountability, working hard, and doing something you loved.”

Leon Turner
Batesville Logistics, Inc.
Batesville, IN

In 38 years of driving, Leon has accumulated 5.03 million miles of accident-free driving. After working for three steel haulers, he transferred to Baylor Trucking, where he drove for three years, handling runs to New York City and its various boroughs. He was hired by Batesville in 1990, he has driven 3.2 million miles without an accident or a moving violation.

“Batesville Casket’s customers, our regional distribution center warehouses, and customer service centers depend on the drivers to deliver the products on time,” Turner says. “I think Batesville drivers do a great job trying to give 100%, because they company depends on us. We are proud to be a part of such an excellent company by showing great safety records for many years.”

Aside from numerous internal awards, he has been recognized five straight years as Driver of the month by the Indiana Motor Truck Association and was named the National Safety Council’s Safe Driver Award of Honor the last three year. He has been a Trucker Buddy for the last seven years, going to schools and showing the students his truck and equipment. He is also a member of Highway Watch.

“Safety is number one for me,” he says. “I am very conscious when I drive. I never want to hurt anyone, especially myself. So, I take precautions by always checking my equipment before leaving, at break time, at fueling time, and at eating time and overnight stops. I watch my mirrors when changing lanes and always leave myself a way out when traffic starts bunching up. If weather gets bad, I listen to my radios for reports and I leave a little early if necessary and drive at a safe distance.”

NPTC/Lytx, Inc. Driver Hall of Fame Inductees are (from left): Steve Edwards, Sherwin Williams Company/Contract Transportation Systems; Mark Hannon, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.; Buddy Brawley, UNIFI; and Leon Turner, Batesville Logistics, Inc.

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.