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Driver of theMonth FEBRUARY 2014


MICHAEL JOHNSTON Hunt Transportation By JeNNiFeR BaRNett Reed Contributing Writer


Hunt Transportation driver Michael


Johnston’s safety record alone is enough to mark him a standout in the industry: More than 3 million accident-free miles, and only one accident — not his fault — since he started driving trucks in 1992. But that’s not the only reason Johnston’s


boss, Brent Falgione, nominated him to be the Nebraska Trucking Association’s February 2014 Driver of the Month. “His safety record is huge, but he’s also a


great ambassador for the industry,” Falgione said. Johnston is always the first person to volunteer to help train new drivers or go out and help a driver who’s run into trouble on the road. “Mike’s the first one to step up and not put


the guy down, but show him a better way to do things,” Falgione said. “He’s got all the core values anyone looks for in a driver.” Johnston, 47, has been with Hunt


Transportation for three years, driving flatbed, step-deck and RGN trailers in all 48 states. He’s a native of north Georgia and now lives with his wife, Loretta, a former truck driver herself, in rural Tellico Plains, Tenn. Truck driving was practically a birthright


for Johnston. “Half of my family was truck drivers and


the other half was in law enforcement,” he said. “Our family reunions were something else.” When he was 14, Johnston’s uncle drove a


route taking carpet from Rome, Ga., to Texas, and then hauling sugar from Texas back to a bakery in Georgia. “I went with him and helped him drive,”


Johnston said. “Tat was way back before regulations. In a way, that got me hooked.” After high school, Johnston joined the


military, and he drove his uncle’s truck to the Air Force base in Dallas where he was assigned. When he was discharged 3.5 years later, he started his own truck-driving career. While he sticks to the 48 contiguous states in his job with Hunt, he’s driven on the icy roads in Canada. “I’ve done just about everything,” he said. One thing he hadn’t done until last year


was participate in the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships. He competed in the five-axle sleeper class and took second place. “I missed first place by two points,” he said.


“I’m hoping to take it all home this year.” Johnston has also started taking the


company’s new drivers out on training runs, teaching them about load securement, among other things. “Somebody helped me out getting started


so time to return the favor,” he said. “It has its good points and its bad points, but more good than bad.” Since starting as a trainer about a year ago,


Johnston said, he’s worked with about a dozen new drivers. “Tey go out with me for three weeks,” he


said. “When they come to us they have driving experience already, so I just kind of work with them and help them break some of the bad habits they might not even know they have.”


Johnston Johnston said that when he gets home,


“honey-dos” keep him busy. His wife was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago, and while she’s now cancer free, her treatment wasn’t easy. She took up quilting to help pass the time, though, and Johnston said she’s considering making a quilt to raffle off at this year’s truck driving championship, with proceeds going to the St. Christopher Fund. Johnston is also doing his part to help


create the next generation of truck drivers. He and his wife are raising their 13-year-old granddaughter, and she sometimes rides with Johnston when school is out. “She keeps him in line in the summertime,”


Falgione said. “He’s passing on the tradition.” Nt


NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 1, 2014 — www.nebtrucking.com 25


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