Hunt Transport Services Inc. recently recognized 116 company drivers for achieving two, three, four, and – for the first time in company history – five million miles driven without a preventable accident, awarding more than $1.6 million in safe driver bonuses.
The drivers were honored over the past two weeks during the company’s annual Million Mile Celebration at corporate headquarters in Lowell, Arkansas marking the 20th anniversary of the event.
J.B. Hunt honored 116 drivers who had logged 1 million miles or more of safe driving.To commemorate the milestone, J.B. Hunt drivers and employees participated in the Million Mile Walk of Fame, an annual company tradition. The Million Mile drivers descended four flights of stairs lined with employees greeting them with cheers and applause to express appreciation for their safety efforts.
“Our Million Mile drivers represent the epitome of who we want all of our drivers to be,” said Nick Hobbs, chief operating officer and president of contract services at J.B. Hunt. “It’s their unwavering commitment to be the very best at what they do that makes this accomplishment so special. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
The Million Mile Celebration is the premier event for J.B. Hunt drivers and their families. The company has hosted the ceremony since 2001 and has recognized Million Mile drivers dating back to 1971. The event was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, so this year’s celebration recognized drivers reaching their million-mile accomplishment over the past two years. This includes the company’s first five million-mile driver, Phil Fortin, or Five-Mil-Phil to his colleagues. Fortin surpassed five million safe miles in December 2019.
“We’ve been hosting this ceremony for 20 years, and I believe we’ll be doing it for 20 more,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of J.B. Hunt. “The atmosphere is electric. There’s so much excitement to celebrate our drivers and their achievements.”
In addition to the celebration, drivers will receive further recognition on J.B. Hunt’s Million Mile Wall. The wall lists all company drivers who have achieved between one and five million safe miles while employed at J.B. Hunt, totaling almost 4,000 drivers.