Five million consecutive miles driven without an accident are equivalent to 200 round-the-world trips or 10.5 roundtrips to the Moon.
Mr. Bob Fasso, Central Freight Lines, Inc. (Nasdaq/NMS: CENF) President and CEO, announced today that the company has awarded Mr. Don Capps it's Five Million Mile Safe Driving Award.
"Mr. Capps earned a place of distinction this month when we awarded him the extremely rare Five Million Mile Safe Driving Award," said Fasso. "This is a significant milestone seldom accomplished by drivers in our industry and exemplifies the dedication of our employees to safely deliver our product in the states we serve."
The high achievement coincides with Mr. Capp's 40th Anniversary as a Central employee and his receipt of the company's Presidential Citation Award for 40 consecutive years of safe driving as an over-the-road driver. During his career, Mr. Capps was also honored in 2002 when selected as the Texas Professional Driver of the Year by the Texas Motor Transportation Association (TMTA).
Capps commented, "When I joined Central in 1965, I didn't expect I would be able to accomplish so much in my driving career." He continued, "I know that our customers depend on Central to deliver our service safely and on-time. When I started at Central, safety was my top priority and it continues to be to this day".
In it's history, Central Freight Lines has produced two additional drivers who have achieved the five million mile plateau. Mr. W.T. "Shorty" Smith, who was named the 1970 TMTA Texas Driver of the Year and the 1971 ATA National Driver of the Year, drove a total of 5.1 million safe miles, before retiring in 1977. The 1998 Texas Driver of the Year, Mr. Pete Peden, retired in 1999 with 5.4 million consecutive accident free miles.
Mr. Gary Thomas, Central's Vice President of Safety noted, "Don's accomplishments reflect the company-wide attention to safety Central affords its customers and employees." He continued, "We are proud of our drivers and our safety record. Safe, courteous and on-time delivery is the foundation of Centrals superior service."
Other Central Safety News
For a second year in a row, Centrals Owner/Operator division took first place honors in the 2005 ATA National Safety Contest. The contest measures the total accident frequency and recordable collision occurrences for 2004. Central has also received four ATA Presidents Trophies in the last twenty years. This is an impressive accomplishment considering ATA regulations require winners to remain out of the competition for four years following each win. Centrals most recent win in 2004 will make it eligible to compete for the honors again in 2008.
This month line-haul driver Mr. Larry Springer surpassed 4 million miles and 32 consecutive years of accident-free driving. In May, he was named the 2005 Texas State Driver of the Year by the TMTA.