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Accident-free driving makes Smith a three-million-mile man
In the wee, small hours of Friday morning, Walmart truck driver Dale Smith made history somewhere in the dark, 20 miles outside the town of Menomonie in western Wisconsin.
There, essentially in the middle of nowhere, Smith became just the third driver in the 26-year history of the Greencastle Walmart Transportation Department to log three million accident-free miles.
While Smith may have wanted to pull off the road, honk his horn and flash the lights on the 2017 Freightliner he was driving, only the possums and raccoons probably could hear him anyway. And before he could really celebrate, he still had another 540 miles to go to bring the rig home to Greencastle.
"I told myself, 'I've gone 23 years, I can surely go one more day,'" he said during a cook-out celebration at the Walmart Transportation Department near the intersection of State Road 240 and Indianapolis Road.
Smith decided to distract himself, resorting to books on tape and other means to keep his mind off the coveted accident-free miles that were rolling up.
"Now that it's not in front of me anymore, it's behind me," Smith said, saying he could feel the moment that emotion switched over. "It's a good feeling now that I've done it."
Smith's wife Ruby was on hand for the celebration Friday as the veteran trucker rolled in, bowed to his co-workers and was swarmed by his children and grandchildren.
Ruby has been a big part of his achievement, Smith said.
"She's been real helpful," he laughed. "She'd say, 'Go get in your truck and get out of here.'"
The three-million-mile achievement is the equivalent of going to the moon and back six times without incident for Smith, who drives about 120,000-130,000 miles a year for Walmart.
The 2017 Freightliner he drives already has 196,000 miles on it, but Smith will soon have a truck of his choice to drive. As part of winning the Three-Million-Mile Safety Award, Smith receives a leather jacket and gets to pick out a new tractor with a bright blue cab that signifies the accident-free award. Only Smith will drive it, and he gets to customize it with amenities like special seats and his choice of transmission.
Through all those mishap-free miles, Smith has had a couple close calls but nothing considered a preventable accident.
"I've had to dodge a four-wheeler and a few have had to avoid me," he said, agreeing that ice and snow and blowing rain are also obstacles of interest on the road.
Of the 61 drivers based at the Greencastle facility, Smith becomes just the third to log three million accident-free miles. Mike Allred of Greencastle previously completed that achievement on July 6, 2012 and still drives for Walmart, while Jim Stone turned the trick last Jan. 25.
Smith, who now lives in Anderson and makes the 150-mile round trip to Greencastle only once a week while being gone the rest of the time, started his Walmart driving career in January 1993.
"It's an amazing accomplishment," offered Norman Nero, Walmart general transportation manager. "I'm very proud, very happy for him. It's rare to have two guys hit it so close together. They (Stone and Smith) have been mapping it out.
"Trust me, I couldn't do it. I get nervous just driving in downtown Indianapolis."