We owe so much to the professional drivers who dedicate their lives to keep the country moving and are especially grateful to our more than 1,200 drivers that deliver fuel to our travel centers and customers across North America.
This week, we recognized one of those professional drivers, Daniel Abshire, who has driven for Pilot for more than 40 years.
Daniel started work with us in 1980, one week before his 21st birthday and is a second-generation Abshire to drive for Pilot. He was trained by his father, Jim, who joined Pilot in 1971 as the second tanker driver for the company and drove for almost 42 years before retiring in 2013.
(Pictured: Jim Abshire (left); Joe Patterson, Director of Transportation (center); Daniel Abshire (right))
On July 7, we held a luncheon at our Sales and Support Center headquarters to thank our Supply & Distribution teams for their incredible efforts over the past year and to surprise Daniel with a special recognition for his years of service. The event culminated with our Founder, Jim Haslam, our CEO, Shameek Konar, and our VP of Transportation, Jordan Spradling, honoring Daniel and Jim – who we had join virtually from his hometown of Virginia – with memories of their time at Pilot, fun facts about their careers, and the grand finale surprise of a new, custom-built Peterbilt truck that is a throwback to the 389 model his father used to drive, which Daniel called his “dream truck.”
(Pictured: Daniel in front of his new custom Peterbilt truck.)
(Pictured: Jim Abshire in front of his 389 model Peterbilt from the 1970’s that inspired the design of Daniel’s new truck.)
(Pictured: Daniel waving to his dad, Jim, as he shows him his new truck that was modeled after Jim’s model 389 Peterbilt.)
During his 40-year career with Pilot, Daniel has:
– Driven 2.5 million miles, the equivalent of five trips to the moon and back or 1,650 trips Knoxville-to-New York and back.
– Amassed 9,800 Safety Days in the cab of his truck, the equivalent of more than 26 years of safe driving.
– Delivered more than 200 million gallons of fuel, the equivalent of 300 Olympic swimming pools.
“The Abshire family and Pilot transportation are synonymous,” said Jim Haslam, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Pilot Company. “Daniel is the best. And that’s because he learned from the best – his father, Jim. This job requires patience, endurance and a deep regard for everyone on the road. We are very proud of these two long and legendary careers and it’s an honor to recognize Daniel for his 40 years at Pilot with this specially designed Peterbilt truck.”
(Pictured: Daniel shaking hands with Jim Haslam, Founder of Pilot Company)
Click here to watch the big reveal on WATE-TV. You can also read more about Daniel and his dad, Jim, on Knoxville News Sentinel.
Congratulations, Daniel and thank you for your years of dedication to safe driving to keep our stores and guests supplied with fuel!
