When one of North America’s largest, privately owned freight carriers was looking for a way to rewards its most loyal and safest drivers, Estes Express Lines wanted to go above and beyond for its employees.
To accomplish this, the team decided to revamp the Estes Million Mile Program. The new program is data-driven and boasts greater accuracy, real-time mileage tracking and greater flexibility, along with other updates.
“Our main focus is to move freight, but it’s also to move freight safely,” said Curtis Carr, vice president of safety/risk management at Estes. “We are looking out for our drivers’ well-being, and the motoring public’s well-being. This is an opportunity to reward our drivers and to honor our drivers for the accomplishments that they have reached.”
A couple of months ago, Estes leaders traveled to terminals throughout the country to honor the company’s nearly 2,500 drivers who have reached the one-, two- and three-million-mile mark with Estes. Another 1,500 drivers were recognized for hitting the another 500,000 milestone after each million-mile mark. In addition to the accolades, drivers received a coveted Estes-branded jacket.
“I’ve handed out well over 200 of the jackets myself,” Carr said. “They remind me of the letter jackets in high school. It has the driver’s name on it and a patch that signifies what they have accomplished. It has the company logo on it and is something they can wear with pride.
“It was hard to get people to put them on in the July heat for photos though,” Carr said with a laugh.
Estes’ Million Mile Program began in 2000, with driver eligibility based on longevity with the company; this criteria is a standard process still used by many carriers. The new program relies on data and technology to track the distance each driver puts on the road. According to Estes, reaching one million miles can take an average of eight to 10 years, depending on the role of the driver.
Greg Richardson, Estes’ vice president of human resources, also champions the changes made to the program.
“This is one of the greatest awards and pieces of recognition that any driver can receive,” Richardson said. “Consider that our drivers — or any drivers — are doing more than just driving. They are on the road every single day, (making) pick up and deliveries, bumping up against docks (and other) hard areas to really navigate,” he said. “If they’re able to do that for a million consecutive miles without having an incident, it’s just nothing short of amazing. It really, really boggles my mind.”
Richardson says he has an immense appreciation for drivers and the professionalism that exists in the industry.
“They are able to have a calm demeanor and navigate their jobs every day to the degree that they do,” Richardson said. “I don’t like driving my car 5 miles. They just have the ability to do things that I don’t think everybody can do, and this is their reward for what they do.”
Carr also admires drivers for their dedication to their craft.
“To put it in perspective, think about how many miles you drive annually in your car,” Carr said. “How many miles would you guess? Just for perspective, our regional vice president in the northeast, he was with me when we went to present many of (the awards). (He) drives 30,000 miles a year. If you look at that (number), after 30 years, he’s still 10,000 miles shy of where these guys have gotten in their career.”
Carr noted that when the company started the original program in 2000, the industry standard was that 12 years equals one million miles.
“Those 12 years were based on a 55 mph limit in most areas,” Carr said. “Now, with speed limits up to 65 mph, it’s outdated. That’s what people thought back then, that 12 years equals one million miles. We have the records now that can actually show their milage. Our drivers can reach this in seven or eight years.”
Investing in the Million Mile program’s refresh to reward and recognize safe drivers is part of Estes’ commitment to safety. Estes The carrier is frequently recognized as a safe trucking company. In 2024, Estes won six awards from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) for its safe driving in the line haul, LTL and local categories.
“Every mile matters to a driver, and we want Estes drivers to know that we see them, we appreciate their commitment to safety and we have great respect for the skill they provide,” said Carr said. “Having real-time access to the miles they’ve clocked will be a game changer for the program and will motivate our drivers to continue to drive safely.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
