ROADMap HEARTBEAT OF AMERICA
A letter from a member of America's Road Team Captain and a 2013 National Driver ofthe year
I am a proud retired professional driver with over 44 years 5.3 million miles behind
the wheel accident free. Earlier this year, I stepped down from the truck and behind the wheel for the last time. Since that time, I have had time to reflect back on the choice I made over 4 decades ago and the impact this proud profession has had on family, my country, community, and me. The impact it has had on me is profound in the fact that every decision I made, every load I hauled, and every safe mile I drove had a direct impact on someone. Decisions made by the professional truck driver range in the hundreds each trip, and
each decision may be life changing and lifesaving. The life changing decisions may involve getting a load to destination promptly and safely. There may be goods on our trailers that are medical supplies to a hospital, or groceries to stock shelves at a supermarket, a part to a machine to get a factory back online. There are many ways to get what this country needs on a daily basis, but trucks are the only way to get it to the front door (I’ve never seen a ship docked at a Home Depot, never seen a plane land at Walmart, or a train deliv- er gas at my corner station). We serve this country on a daily basis for its everyday needs. Every decision a driver has to make when he or she is behind the wheel is potentially life- saving. Drivers are making decision after decision that impacts highway safety, as well as his and other’s safety, over possibly a 10 to 11 hour period. As a driver, I have always felt safe miles are lifesaving and changing miles. The impact this profession has had on my family has been huge, each one has had the
opportunity to go to college and and leave with no college debt. My home is paid for, I have no debt, and security for retirement. This industry has truly blessed me and my family. My community has benefited from this wonderful industry in so many ways the sev-
eral weeks after an F4 tornado ripped through Garland and my hometown of Rowlett, Texas. The aid, command centers, cleanup, and rebuilding cannot be done without one essential tool - trucks - and the drivers behind the wheel. There are many disasters that seem to happen in communities across this country every year with broken hearts and devastation left behind. I take great pride in knowing that my profession will always be called on to help mend broken hearts and help rebuild for the future. In closing, I must say that if the industry I served is not the heartbeat of this great
country, it has to be the life’s flow to the highways across this great land to keep it func- tioning as the greatest in the world.
Sincerely, Gary G. Babbitt America’s Road Team Captain
2013 National Driver of the Year 2013 TXTA Driver of the Year
Summer 2016 33
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