Celebrate Truck Driver Appreciation Week with the story of a driver who proves that experience and consistency go hand in hand.
Every September, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week creates an opportunity to recognize the professionalism, dedication and skill of drivers who keep freight moving across the United States. It’s a chance to acknowledge the hours, vigilance, and service mindset that help make a difference in Americans’ lives every day.
For truck drivers, the commitment to safety is renewed mile after mile, year after year. One of those drivers is Ben L., a regional driver with FirstFleet, who recently joined the Two Million Miler Club after 16 years with the company.
“I’m always driving with my head on a swivel so to speak,” he says. “I scan the road ahead looking for slowdowns and accidents, take turns carefully and exercise caution climbing up a hill. You either have patience or you don’t. And in this business, patience can keep you safe.”
Safety starts before the truck moves
Long before Ben pulls onto the highway, he’s thinking about safety. Every day begins with a meticulous pre-trip inspection. He checks the wheels, lights, lug nuts, and underneath the trailer before climbing into the cab. The routine hasn’t changed much over the years, because for Ben, preparation is the foundation of safe driving.
His attention to detail traces back to the years he spent as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle mechanic. “When you’re working on a machine that people entrust with their lives, you learn to pay attention,” he says.
Today, that level of attention guides him on every route. Ben logs roughly 3,000 miles per week on a dedicated route between Amarillo, Texas and Grand Island, Nebraska. Every day brings unexpected hazards and encounters with distracted drivers.
How FirstFleet and Motive support safer driving
Experience is invaluable, but it doesn’t mean you stop learning. After 36 years behind the wheel, Ben still values input that helps him improve, even if it comes from in-cab technology.
To deter unsafe driving behaviors such as close following and unsafe lane changes, FirstFleet equips its trucks with Motive AI Dashcams. FirstFleet uses the Motive platform to track safety trends and support drivers like Ben over millions of miles. The company operates more than 2,400 tractors and 11,000 trailers in dedicated contract carriage, and since deploying Motive, they’ve achieved a 63% reduction in critical safety events per million miles. Drivers like Ben routinely go entire weeks without a single safety event.
“I met Ben more than 15 years ago when we worked together at the Tolleson, Arizona location,” says FirstFleet Senior Regional Safety Manager Troy B. “Eight years ago I presented Ben with his One Million Mile award, and now it’s my pleasure to award him his Two Million Mile award for outstanding safety performance.
“I always remember Ben as the guy who pays attention to detail, shows patience and understanding and lends a hand to fellow drivers without question,” Bash adds. “To this day, he still wears the FirstFleet uniform with pride and sets the example of what a driver should be.”
The moments that make the miles worth it
Before joining FirstFleet, Ben delivered newspapers in Arizona, often driving mountain roads in the middle of the night. He recalls slowing for herds of elk crossing the road at 2 a.m. and navigating roads after days of heavy rain, only to find a massive boulder blocking his path.
Those early routes taught him to respect the road and be patient, because you never know what’s around the corner. Today, it’s the quieter moments he enjoys most.
“I could be going up a mountain, and when I crest the top, there’s a full moon sitting right over a windmill,” he says. “It’s something you’d see on a calendar. You come upon it and think ‘If I could only take a picture of this.’”
Recognition that matters
In the inaugural Visionary Awards at Vision 26, Motive recognized FirstFleet with the Safety Leader Award for its strong safety culture. Ben’s milestone is the latest example of that culture in action. To mark the achievement, the company presented him with a commemorative jacket, a truck decal and a cake.
“When they let you know you’ve done a good job, it means a lot,” says Ben. “When it comes from people who see you out there and know what you’re about, that’s the best motivation.”
During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, celebrated this fall from September 13-19, companies often recognize drivers with meals, hats or small gifts. Ben appreciates those gestures and feels the support behind them. But for him the biggest reward isn’t a meal, the jacket, or even the milestone.
It’s the inspiration that stems from it all.
“I got the award, I got the acknowledgement. Now I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing,” he says. “Getting to two million, I’ve got something to live up to. It makes me want to be a better driver.”
See how Motive supports drivers like Ben
Ready to support your drivers with smarter safety tools? See how the Motive AI Dashcam Plus can help prevent collisions — and how Motive’s Safety Hub helps recognize top performers.
