Don Robinson takes to heart the lessons of safely driving large trucks for a living.
He not only can talk the talk, but also can drive the drive — he’s approaching 4 million miles of safe driving under his belt. And he’s a third generation trucker, as well.
The 61-year-old Green resident, who works for YRC Freight, was recently named the 2012 Driver of the Year in Ohio by the Ohio Trucking Association in Columbus. He is just one of 31 drivers to win the award since it was instituted in 1981.
“I’m elated. I hope I represent the industry well,” Robinson said.
Robinson has been driving a rig for 33 years, starting with the former Roadway Corp. that has since merged to form YRC Worldwide. His workday typically begins at 5:30 a.m. from YRC’s Copley terminal, where he trucks to Cleveland and from there to Indianapolis and back. Earlier in his career, Robinson said his typical route was from Akron to Nashville and back. He’s married; he and his wife have five children and stepchildren.
Robinson said his father retired as a driver with Consolidated Freight, while his grandfather, Charles Howard Robinson, worked alongside Roadway co-founder Galen Roush to help set up the then-fledgling company.
Robinson was one of 12 people nominated for 2012 Ohio truck driver of the year. The award recognizes drivers with exemplary safety records and professionalism, with the winner entered into the Driver of the Year Hall of Fame.
“All these guys, we were all winners. There’s no losers in the bunch,” Robinson said.
Robinson said he and the other 11 nominees have nearly 34 million safe driving miles among them.
“That means all of us are, how do I say this, elderly fellas,” Robinson said. “Old leather rear-ends is what we got.”
He credits Ron Brotherton, YRC safety manager, with mentoring and training him and others over the years on how to do their jobs safely. Brotherton showed him such things as how to properly do pre-trip inspections as well as other on-the-job training.
“He was a big influence on my career,” Robinson said. “He made sure we did things right.”
Robinson said he’s now passing on his training and experience to other drivers, including new hires.
“I’m doing some of the training,” he said. He is now a CSA (Compliance, Safety and Accountability) trainer.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com