Perdue Farms announced last week that truck driver Alvin Smith recently celebrated four million consecutive miles driven for Perdue without an accident. That equates to roughly 160 trips around the Earth.
“It’s an honor driving trucks. Before each trip, I check the map and plan the first stop. I check everything to make sure it is ready to go,” Smith said. “I pray. I really believe in the power of prayer and also getting yourself prepared before each trip.”
Smith began driving for Perdue in 1982 and averages roughly 110,000 miles a year. As for if he has a goal for five million miles? “I say, well, I don’t know, but I am pretty competitive so I just might,” Smith said. “If you really work at it, you can do a million miles in about six years, so I probably could get to five million.”
Perdue employs roughly 350 professional truck drivers, 170 of which have reached one million accident-free miles, 52 have hit two million, and seven have achieved three million, according to a Perdue Farms press release. Smith is the only member of the exclusive four million mile club.
“Our Perdue drivers are important ambassadors for our brands and company,” Perdue Farms vice president of transportation and warehousing Richard Hernandez said. “Besides seeing our customers on a regular basis, drivers of our Perdue tractors and trailers drive 35 million miles a year feeding America. What impresses me most about Alvin is a combination of his professionalism and down-to-earth approach. Alvin brings instant credibility to every conversation and situation because everyone knows that he has seen or done it and that he knows exactly what it takes to be successful. Imagine someone with all of this experience who is also an excellent listener and mentor.”
“Alvin is the best of the best,” Hernandez said. “He didn’t wake up one day and decide to be successful. He put the time and energy in day after day combined with a ‘can do’ attitude for so many years.”
Smith started driving for the former Perdue plant in Robersonville, NC in 1982. For 15 years, he drove from Robersonville to Emporia, VA and back, about 180 miles per day. “I really enjoyed those local trips because I would make the same stops and go through the same towns,” Smith said. “There was one bus stop that I would pass each day. The kids would get excited to see me and would wave. I feel like I got to know those kids. I got to see them grow up at that bus stop for 15 years.”
After that plant closed, Smith started driving for Perdue’s Lewiston, NC plant. He said he has seen every state east of the Mississippi.
“It’s a great career,” Smith said. “I always tell people – if you want to see the world, join the military. But if you want to see our country, become a trucker. It’s a job that I love, and I hope to continue doing it for as long as I can.”
