NPTC Inducts Four into Driver Hall of Fame

Arlington, VA – Four truck drivers who have logged more 16 million miles of safe driving in more than a combined 145 years of service were honored by the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) and inducted into the NPTC Driver Hall of Fame during the Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition held April 18-20, 2010 in Cincinnati.

The drivers are from NPTC member companies and have met the minimum qualifications of 20 years, two 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, 96 drivers have been installed in the Driver Hall of Fame.

This year's Hall of Fame inductees are:

Jerry Lamar Beasley
Shaw Industries Group, Inc.
Dalton, GA

In his 34 years behind the wheel, Beasley has driven for more than four million miles without a preventable or non-preventable accident. Currently he runs about 2,400 miles a week delivering carpeting and flooring in an over-the road run from Dalton to Minneapolis. His courteousness, patience and professionalism on and off the road not only improve the image of trucking, they make him a role model to his peers. Beasley began working at Shaw driving a straight truck after obtaining his commercial license in 1979. Since then, he has pulled primarily 53-ft. box trailers. He works hard to keep his driving skills intact through online training and through Smith System Defensive Driving courses.

“I maintain my own personal wellness with exercise and good eating habits,” he says. “When on the
road and waiting to be loaded or unloaded, I will take a 1-2 mile walk. I eat lots of vegetables and stay away from greasy foods. I guess you could say I have a lot of safe driving habits, but two that come to mind are following distance and patience. I always maintain a good following distance. Being patient is also a key factor. If I let stress get behind the wheel with me, I wouldn’t be able to do enjoy what I do every day.”

Richard Kutz
Kraft Foods, Inc.
Allentown, PA

Richard Kutz has accumulated more than 4.7 million miles without an accident of any kind since he began driving 43 years ago. Since joining Kraft in 1972, he has driven more than 4.5 million safe driving miles while delivering perishable food products to distribution centers and customers throughout the northeast. In fact, he still averages 2,700 miles per week. He has achieved perfect attendance in
each of his 37 years with Kraft.

He learned to drive while serving in the Army in Thailand and has experience in driving lowboys as well as dry and refrigerated trailers. He has been honored with Kraft million-mile safe driving awards for each of his million-mile milestones. Kutz views himself as the last link in the supply chain, working closely with dispatch and mechanics to help enhance overall fleet operations. In addition he is viewed as a mentor to younger drivers. He has attended numerous safety training seminars and has presented at several. His commitment to safety is evident in his community service as he is an active member of the local volunteer fire department and his church.

Isaac Simmons
CVS Transportation, LLC
Knoxville, TN

In his 40-year professional driving career, Isaac Simmons has achieved more than 4.1 million miles of safe driving, suffering only one non-chargeable accident in 1970 when a load shifted. In that time, he has never received a citation; in fact, he has received only one speeding ticket in his life – in 1970 when he was driving his personal automobile. For the past 35 years, he has been driving for CVS delivering retail merchandise from the company’s distribution centers to its retail outlets. During that time he has logged more than 3.6 million miles without an accident of any kind.

Currently, Simmons is a shuttle driver for the CVS Knoxville Distribution Center, averaging 625 miles per day and more than 3,100 miles per week delivering drop and hook loads consisting of prescription drugs and cosmetics to other CVS distribution centers in South Carolina and Alabama. Simmons started driving in 1969 for Courtesy Delivery Service and gained experience behind the wheel of dump trucks and straight trucks before getting behind the wheel of a tractor trailer. He is the recipient of numerous safety driving awards, from CVS, NPTC, ATA as well as several equipment lessors. He also is an active participant in company training programs including Highway Watch security training, hazardous materials, anti-terrorism training, lift-gate usage training, pre- and post-trip inspection training, proper lifting techniques, driver fatigue, drug and alcohol, driver wellness and on-board computer training.

David Solomon
Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc.
Bandera, TX

David Solomon has racked up more than 3.3 million miles in his 28-year-driving career with only one non-preventable accident. He joined Matheson in 1987 and has accumulated 2.5 million miles without suffering an accident, not an easy feat given the commodities he hauls: nitrogen, oxygen, and argon refrigerated liquid in a tank truck application that combines both local city deliveries with over-the-road applications. Typically, he drives 12 hours a day or 55 hours a week and his typical runs are in Central and South Texas.

Solomon earned his chauffer’s license when he was just 17 years old and he started in the oilfield business hauling liquids to drilling rigs and oil from tank batteries to refineries. He has experience behind the wheel of flat beds, livestock, transports, mobile homes and tow trucks. He is active in building Matheson’s safety culture as a driver trainer and has received multiple safe driving awards.

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. NPTC is the premier marketplace of information, networking and skill building for private fleet professionals as it leads in shaping the future of corporate transportation.

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