Trucker Tim Dean clocks up 5million miles on the road – the same as …
Trucker Tim Dean clocks up 5million miles on the road - the same as 10 return trips to the moon - without a single accident during 35-year career
- Dean, 59, is a professional truck driver for Werner Enterprises in Omaha
- He is only the second person in his company's history to make this safety record
A truck driver from Nebraska[2] has clocked up five million miles without a single accident during his 35-year career.
Tim Dean, 59, a professional truck driver for Werner Enterprises in Omaha[3], is only the second person in his company's history to reach this figure, the equivalent of 10 return trips to the moon.
'Milestones creep up out of nowhere after time,' Dean told Fox News[4].
'You think, "OK, that's kind of cool. How did this happen? How did I get here?" But I don't set long-term goals. My goals are daily, as in — the next mile being safe.'
Dean has travelled all over the lower United States except for Vermont[5] and to four different provinces of Canada[6].
Tim Dean, 59, a professional truck driver for Werner Enterprises in Omaha, is only the second person in his company's history to reach this figure, the equivalent of 10 return trips to the moon
Tim Dean in his truck being applauded by employees after he had reached the milestone
Werner Enterprises posted images of him standing by his truck after completing the milestone accompanied by the post: 'Join us in congratulating Tim on this incredibly rare milestone! We were joined by Tim's family, Charley, a lineup of honking trucks and more in Omaha today during a surprise celebration in his honor!'
Describing his mantra for staying out of trouble on the roads, Dean said: 'I try to keep a normal circadian rhythm, a sleeping pattern of going to bed at night and getting up in the morning. Then I get into the right mindset by doing the pre-trip and focusing on safety. Without being safe, you don't get to where I'm at.'
Dean, who normally works Sunday through Friday and is also celebrating his 39th wedding anniversary this month, said that growing up in Omaha, he watched semi trucks go by on Interstate 80 and always wondered where those trucks were going.
He said: 'And after 35 years, I look out there and I still wonder. They're going everywhere. They're delivering all the goods throughout the country and being a part of that has been a gift.'
Dean's home state of Nebraska had the highest percentage of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2021 at 16 per cent, with Iowa also at 16 per cent and Kansas and Wyoming both at 14 per cent, according to the National Safety Council.
Werner Enterprises posted a message congratulating Dean after he had achieved the milestone
In May 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that there were 42,915 traffic fatalities in 2021, the highest in 16 years, the agency said.
However, in June this year, the NHTSA shared new data indicating traffic deaths dropped 3.3 per cent during the first quarter of this year, representing the fourth consecutive quarterly decline.
The federal agency said its initial projections show that 9,330 people were killed on US roadways during the first three months the year, fewer than the 9,645 people who died during the same period last year.
'After spiking during the pandemic, traffic deaths have been on a slow but consistent decline for the past year,' Buttigieg said.
'This is an encouraging sign as we work to reverse the rise in roadway deaths, but there is much more work ahead to reinforce this downward trend and make it permanent.'