Accident-free driver hits 4 million miles in 40 years

A trucker in Pennsylvania was recognized for four million miles accident free recently after nearly 40 years on the road. 

Doug Phelps is a truck driver for XPO in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania who says he known he wanted to be a truck driver ever since he was a little boy climbing up into his dad’s rig. 

“All the kids around watching us getting on this big, me going home on this big truck like that. And I thought from that moment on that what I wanted to do,” Phelps said. So in May of 1985 Phelps took a job as a trucker and has been driving ever since. Now, 39 years later, he’s being recognized for his safe driving over all of those years. 

“Never thought I would go this far,” he said, pinning the truck driving safety success on “A lot of good luck and paying attention.”

“Different weather, different climate. Every day is different. Every day is change. Every miles are different,” he continued to WTAJ News.

“We work in inherently dangerous environments, you know, out on the roadways every day. And to drive safely with that kind of professionalism and attention it needs to be celebrated, shown as an example to other drivers out there on what successful safe driving looks like,” Ryan Graham, XPO Service Center Manager said. 

“I see people fly by going in and out of traffic and they go to Walmart. Were you in that big of a hurry? I think people just need to slow down a little bit, enjoy life,” Phelps concluded.