After nearly five decades of professionally driving for YRC Freight, Robert Herber has logged his 5,000,000th consecutive mile without a single preventable accident.
Herber has been involved with the freight industry for most of his life, as he first began unloading cars at a cattle feed mill where he grew up in Burkes County, Penn. During Herber’s 45-year career with YRC Freight, he has worked out of seven different terminals across the country, and he currently drives a route from Jackson, Miss. to Jacksonville, Fla.
“Throughout his career, Robert has demonstrated great dedication to the highest levels of professionalism and safety,” said CEO Darren Hawkins. “We thank Robert for continuing to be an outstanding example for Yellow and congratulate him on reaching this extraordinary milestone.”
Herber credits his remarkable safety record to consistency and maintaining habitual checklists. Rooted in the Smith System, a set of industry-accepted safety practices, Herber has developed his own set of requirements to meet while he drives his route.
“Everyone has his or her own system that works best – the important thing is to stay consistent and make sure you are following a pattern,” said Herber. “I’m not comfortable until I’ve followed all steps of my own system; if I don’t complete steps fully the first time, I’ll pull over and double-check everything. The rest is by the grace of God – I never thought I would be driving for this long.”
“Robert’s unwavering record represents Yellow’s safety focus with excellence,” said Tamara Jalving, Vice President, Safety. “Drivers like Robert are what allow us to continue delivering award-winning service to our customers while keeping highways safe. We are proud to recognize his incredible achievement.”
In addition to being recognized for each million-mile safe driving milestone, Herber has also participated in Maryland’s State Truck Driving Championship, even proceeding to the national championships.
When he is not driving, Herber and his wife have enjoyed attending street rod shows everywhere from Atlanta to Fort Worth. They also spend their time volunteering in their hometown of Meridian, Miss. – in 2018, Herber was selected Man of the Year by the Center Hill Community Development Club for his service to the community.
