Six professional drivers with HyLife and its transportation company, LPR, have collectively logged more than 10 million safe miles (16,093,440 km) on the road. That’s the equivalent of circling the Earth more than 400 times or traveling to the moon and back four times, Hylife said in a news release.
The company celebrated the milestone with speeches, awards, and a three-tiered cake representing one-, two-, and three-million-mile milestones. Each of the six drivers was inducted into the company’s Million Mile Club and had their name added to a commemorative wall at HyLife’s head office in Steinbach, Man.
Among them is Andy Donaghy, an LPR driver who has surpassed three million safe miles — the highest-ever achievement at both HyLife and LPR, the release added.
“I’ve been driving for 31 years now, and I learned everything from my dad, who was a driver too,” said Donaghy. “I own my own truck, which was gifted to me by a man I worked with for 20 years. Every time I get behind the wheel, I’m grateful for that opportunity.”
Other drivers recognized include LPR’s William (Ted) Wachna and HyLife’s Mike Schalla, who have each surpassed two million safe miles. One-million-mile honourees include Robin Penner and Jeff Rempel from HyLife, and Jeff Dotty from LPR. All drivers are based in various parts of Manitoba, from Morris to Neepawa and Randolph.
“It takes a special kind of person to drive – someone with grit, patience, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” said Sergey Yaglinsky, manager of driver services at HyLife. “The HyLife million mile club is our way of saying thank you to the drivers who’ve literally gone the distance, both safely and consistently.”
Dotty, who has been on the road for more than four decades, said that safety is always his priority. “Don’t take dangerous chances. It is not worth my life or someone else’s. Knowing your boundaries and your environment is everything,” he said.
For Rempel, reaching his million-mile goal was ‘surreal’. “To have everyone cheering – this is something I will always remember,” he said. “Every day, I just do my best to get home safely to my family.”
