Roadway driver named captain for ‘America’s Team’

Jim Gallagher drives a truck from Buffalo to Albany and back five days a week, rolling through all kinds of weather and traffic. The variety appeals to him.

“I might go to the same place every time, but it’s always a different trip,” Gallagher said.

The Amherst resident has built a sterling safety record driving for Roadway, and he shares his driving knowledge with new hires. He has added a responsibility to go with his job, educating the public about highway safety and the trucking industry as a captain on “America’s Road Team” for the next two years.

Making the team is tough. The American Trucking Associations received 2,000 nominations for the latest edition of the team, said Elisabeth Barna, vice president of strategic planning and outreach for the group. Thirty-four professional truck drivers competed as finalists for the team’s 18 spots last month in Virginia.

They answered questions in a personal interview, gave a prepared speech as if addressing their peers and did a mock media interview, all in front of a five-judge panel. The drivers’ safety record, community service involvement, personal statements and nomination statements were also part of the selection process, Barna said.

Gallagher said he was elated to be chosen, especially since two years earlier, he had competed but wasn’t picked.

As a captain, he will have speaking engagements a few days each month, from talking to young people in driver education programs to truckers at industry conferences.

Gallagher, 57, has the experience to back up his message. He has driven trucks on and off since 1971, after getting hooked on the idea while working as a mechanic’s helper when he was 17. “I was fascinated with the size of the trucks and being around guys who spent their lives driving,” he said.

A job with a different company brought the Schenectady native here in 1985. He is in his 18th year as a driver for Roadway, which is a brand of YRC Worldwide.

Gallagher loves being on the road, with a clear view of the weather and all the decision making that comes with operating a big rig. He is among the drivers at the Roadway terminal in Buffalo honored for logging 1 million accident-free miles and he is nearing the 2 million mile mark.

“A lot of it is preparation,” like coming to work well-rested, with a good attitude and leaving your problems outside the cab, he said. He also does a thorough check of his truck and equipment before a trip, since he drives a different truck each day.

America’s Road Team, sponsored by Volvo Trucks North America, was started by ATA in 1986. Gallagher is the sixth captain from New York state in the program’s history.

David May, a Con-Way Freight driver who lives in West Seneca, was a captain on the 2005-06 team and served as a mentor for the current group of professional drivers during the selection process.

During his stint as a captain, May traveled to about 30 states, talking to people about how to safely share the road with trucks and highlighting the industry’s importance to the U. S. economy.

For truckers accustomed to working solo in a cab for hours at a time, getting up to speak before a large group can be an adjustment, May said. But he feels Gallagher is well suited for the role of a captain, given his safety record, experience, people skills and passion for his work.

“To do this program and do it well, you really have to enjoy what you’re doing,” said May, who was also the 2008 ATA National Driver of the Year.

Gallagher sounds ready. “Obviously the more people we can reach with the message, the better off everybody is going to be on the road.”