From Roadway's Spotlight, 1st edition 2005, pp. 32-35
Richard Ford, a linehaul driver from White Pine, Tennessee, is Roadway's 14th driver to achieve four million safe-driving miles.
At the time of the accident, the sun was just beginning to rise, and the stretch of Interstate 59 in Collinsville, Alabama, was shrouded in dense fog.
Driving down the entry ramp to the highway, the Roadway driver-—with his limited visibility—-found himself too far off the road, and hit a curb. It was just an eight-inch curb, but big enough to begin a terrible chain reaction.
The driver got the tractor back on the road, but it was too late to calm the rocking single trailer full of 43,000 pounds of freight. The driver struggled to maintain control, but it was too late; the trailer began to tip over. To the driver, the accident was happening in slow motion. In reality, mere seconds went by.
Tearing out 185 feet of guardrail, the unit crashed down the ramp until the tractor began to turn over as well. The driver, who never wore his seat belt, had, for some reason, buckled it around himself that morning. He felt the tractor tipping over and hung in the seatbelt until the truck stopped . . . within six feet of a bridge abutment.
An Alabama Highway Patrol officer, driving in the opposite direction, heard—but couldn't see--the accident happening. He turned around at the next exit, sped back, throwing flares out of his window as he drove.
The tractor, trailer, and freight were destroyed; the driver, safe in his seat belt, didn't sustain a scratch. He was unbuckled from his seat belt, and went to call Atlanta to report the accident.
The driver figured he'd be fired; after all, he had, in his words, "tore a truck to pieces." What would he do? Driving a truck was all he knew--and all he'd ever wanted to do.
For Richard Ford, the accident was a life-changing event. He describes it in vivid detail, as if it happened yesterday; in fact, it happened on August 5, 1973. It was 31 years ago.
To this day, Richard carries the accident with him. And he's carried it with him while he's driven--from the day after the accident--over four million safe-driving miles with Roadway Express. He is the 14th driver in Roadway's history to achieve this safety milestone.
During a conversation with Richard and Ruth Ann, his wife of 36 years, about his remarkable achievement, he brings up the accident almost immediately. It is, he says, one of the main reasons he's been safe every day for the last 31 years.
At the time of the accident, Richard had been with Roadway for a mere five months. He had graduated from a truck driving school and drove for Pilot Freight for nearly two years when he was hired by Roadway on March 8, 1973. Prior to the accident, he felt he was a "real good truck driver"--safe and skilled. "The accident got my attention, and proved to me that I'm a fair-to-middling truck driver," says Richard. "It made me realize that I have to watch myself every day, every minute of every trip." He feels he's never really "gotten over" the accident--he thinks about it quite a bit--and has taken to heart every lesson it taught him.
"First of all, I'm grateful to Roadway for giving me a second chance 31 years ago. They didn't have to, but they did," he says. "I'm grateful because there's a big difference between doing something you have to do and doing something you like to do. And, to me, driving for Roadway is a pleasure and a joy more than a job."
Richard enjoys the sense of accomplishment he achieves with every trip. "You've got nobody else to do your job for you. The relay tells you when to leave and where to go, but it's up to you to be able to get to the other end safely. Then you know you've done your job well," he says. "And I've done that every time except once--my accident taught me that every safe trip is a job done well. It's nothing to take for granted; you have to work hard to be safe."
The challenges facing a professional driver are ever-increasing--traffic congestion, people talking on cell phones while driving, and drunk drivers, just to name a few--and Richard sticks with the basics to deal with them. "I try to leave with a good attitude, always stay alert to what's going on around me, and do the best job I can--for my family, for Roadway, and for myself."
Richard is also grateful to the support his family provides, especially from his wife. Growing up, Ruth Ann's father was a truck driver and away from home much of the time--she didn't want the same for her children. As a result, Richard's first job after high school and a four-year stint in the Air Force was in a laboratory. It was a good job, but it was indoors, and he was miserable. After three years, Ruth Ann encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming a truck driver, realizing that much of the burden of raising their daughters would fall on her. "It was difficult at times," she admits. "But it was what he was supposed to do. And I believe when you're doing what you're supposed to do in life then you can accomplish great things."
Ruth Ann says she got through hard times because of her faith, and it's a belief Richard shares. "I don't feel alone when I'm driving--I know the Lord is watching over me or I wouldn't be sitting here today. I believe that in my heart."
With humbleness, Richard downplays his mileage milestones. "If you drive for Roadway, you're expected to do a good job and drive millions of safe miles," he says. But he admits that approaching a milestone--especially the rare four million one--can rattle even the most easy-going driver. As it got closer, he didn't want to talk about it. "I know everyone at White Pine was gunning for me to get it, but nobody said anything when it got close," says Richard. "Everyone said 'have a good trip, be careful, be safe,' but that's it."
No one might have been talking to Richard about his four million miles, but there was plenty of planning going on to celebrate his achievement.
"We knew that Richard was getting pretty nervous so we didn't give him the exact date," said Rob Bulick, White Pine's relay manager. "As it got closer, we let him believe it was going to be on a Saturday night; in reality, it was going to be on the Wednesday before--and that was the date we planned our celebration."
On his return trip that Wednesday night, Richard was only ten miles from the White Pine facility when a local sheriff pulled him over. The sheriff told Richard he wanted to inspect his truck, and told him to pull into the nearby scales. "I knew the truck was in good condition, so it didn't worry me," said Richard. As he pulled into the scales, he saw a few cars parked together and drove away from them--that is, until a bright orange University of Tennessee shirt caught his eye. "All of a sudden, I saw my grandson and I couldn't understand what he was doing there," said Richard. "Then I saw my wife, my daughters, and Rob. . . ."
"He just looked so confused, but our daughters were yelling, 'Daddy, you've done it!" so it didn't take long for him to figure it out," said Ruth Ann. "We were all so proud of him."
"As soon as I got out of the truck, I said to Rob, 'you told me Saturday night,' and he just smiled and said, 'you got it this morning,'" said Richard. "I was so relieved! It was an enormous amount of pressure, but I'm so glad to say that I finally did it!"
Richard's tractor now has a new decal to showcase his amazing achievement, but if he had his way, his wouldn't be the only name on it. "I've had a lot of help--nobody can do this alone," he said. "You could cover the tractor and trailers with the names of people who have helped me during my career." Richard says his tractor gets some extra attention on the road--getting double-takes from car and truck drivers alike. "It's a great advertisement for Roadway and all of our safe drivers," he says, adding with a laugh: "And even a fair-to-middling driver like me!"
