YRC Freight professional driver, James Banner, has achieved the prestigious milestone of logging over five million driving miles without a single preventable accident.
Banner has been driving trucks for 50 years, with 42 of them spent driving for YRC Freight. Based in Chicago, he is now the longest-tenured employee at the Chicago Heights terminal. He drives an average of 3,084 miles every week on his current route from Chicago to Kansas City.
“We are truly honored to have James on our team and congratulate him on this extraordinary accomplishment,” said CEO Darren Hawkins. “Like all our Million-Miler drivers, James sets the standard in how to work with a focus on safety day in and day out.”
Though he has grown accustomed to driving over the past five decades, Banner attributes his safety record to remain highly vigilant. He keeps his eyes on the road, looking far ahead to prepare for shifts in traffic flow and adjust accordingly. If there seems to be any risk, he always pulls over and urges other drivers to do the same.
Banner advises anyone on the road to not jeopardize their safety and the safety of others by driving in a hurry. “Being in a hurry only makes you lose time. Let all the fast traffic go; you will never gain a significant amount of time by trying to keep up. Let them go past you, keep your eyes on the road ahead, and never drive faster than you can stop.”
“We are tremendously proud of James and the professionalism he has demonstrated for decades,” said Tamara Jalving, Vice President, Safety. “Thank you for your continued dedication to keeping our highways safe and delivering award-winning service to our customers.”
When he is not driving, Banner enjoys spending time landscaping his property at his home in Orland Park, Ill., and supporting children’s education through volunteer work in the greater Chicago area.
