Top ABF Freight Drivers Earn Recognition on Road Team

ArcBest is pleased to announce that its less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight has chosen 12 professional drivers for the 2018-2019 ABF Freight Road Team.

Members of the 2018-2019 ABF Freight Road Team and their service centers are: Scotty Davis, Kansas City, Missouri; Scott Scheuffele, Ontario, Oregon; Brian Petrovcic, North Lima, Ohio; Todd Wilemon, Tupelo, Mississippi; Matt Meadows, Charleston, West Virginia; Allen McNeely, Charlotte, North Carolina; Jimmy Smith, Roanoke, Virginia; Sammy Brewster, Atlanta, Georgia; Eric Patterson, Phoenix, Arizona; Don Wood, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jon Herman, Kansas City, Missouri; and Russ Lauver, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

“We are proud to have these exceptional representatives among the ranks of ABF Freight’s professional drivers,” said Mark McMinn, ABF Freight senior vice president of Operations and Safety. “Each Road Team member has superb driving skills and an outstanding safety record. Their commitment to our customers’ goods, as well as their commitment to the safety of the driving public, makes them excellent ambassadors to represent ABF Freight and the trucking industry.”

To be eligible for the ABF Freight Road Team, candidates must have at least 10 years of driving experience and an exemplary driving record. Road Team membership is one of the highest honors an ABF Freight driver can achieve.

“With drivers like these, it’s no wonder why ABF Freight has been a trusted partner our customers have depended on for over 95 years,” McMinn said.

During two-year terms, ABF Freight Road Team members serve as ambassadors for ABF Freight as well as the trucking industry at large. They are available for speaking engagements at civic and fraternal organizations, school events, career days and other events around the country. When called upon, Road Team members speak about driving safety, the image of the truck driver, sharing the road with trucks, or other subjects of community or industry interest.

YRC Freight Driver Bobby Elrod Reaches Safety Achievement of 5-Million Accident-Free Miles

In his 45-year career with YRC Freight, Bobby Elrod has reached the elite safety milestone of driving five-million consecutive miles without a single accident. The company will recognize his safety record with an event at 10 a.m., on March 6, at its Chattanooga terminal.

In honor of Elrod's achievement, he will be welcomed into the company's five-million miler Driver Hall of Fame. YRC Freight will also donate 50 children's car seats to the Tennessee Highway Patrol--one for every 100,000 miles he has driven without a single accident.

"Bobby is a true professional with a genuine dedication to the safety of the motoring public. Each day he demonstrates self-discipline, constant focus and commitment," says T.J. O'Connor, YRC Freight president. "We are introducing a new trailer wrapped in his honor to showcase his great safety accomplishment. Here at YRC Freight, we couldn't be prouder of his five-million miles driven over four and a half decades without a single accident."

Elrod observed, "I've driven out of Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga at different times for the company. I was proud to be the first Smith System instructor in Nashville and train our drivers. I always put safety first. I came from a family of truck drivers--my dad, two uncles, a brother, and a brother-in-law--they were all truck drivers. It's in my blood. I was only nine or ten when my dad passed away. Not that long ago, I went out to the cemetery. I told my dad, ‘I've reached five million miles without an accident, Dad. Can you imagine?' It was a good moment. I've been blessed. I was able to put both my boys through college, and see them graduate without owing a penny. The company has been really good to me and my family."

"To put those miles in perspective, five million miles is like driving to the moon and back over ten times or driving around the equator 200 times--all without a single accident. I tip my safety hat to him, and I send my heartfelt thanks to his family for sharing Bobby with us," says Terry Budimlija, YRC Freight Safety Director.

A resident of Chickamauga, Ga., Elrod averages over 2,000 miles a week. He will be presented with a celebratory watch, die cast YRC Freight truck, plaque and a five-million miles accident-free commemorative jacket at the celebration.