"Million Miler" Questions...

1. "Accident Free"? Is that 100%? "At Fault"? What about "parking lot" type stuff? The reason I ask is you say all new drivers make mistakes yet that amazing accomplishment not only suggests the absence of rookie mistakes but also a bit of luck staying clear of other's mistakes as well.

Also... I talked to a driver who I think had a Two Million Mile notation on his doors. When I congratulated him he (I thought a bit "sheepishly" said) "It was on the truck when they gave it to me."

I know they move drivers and trucks around but would think they would "protect" that more - by removing it before putting another driver in the truck or the driver taking it off or something. Was he just being modest (as I suspected) or could that have really been the case?

Definitely could have been that someone failed to remove that decal.

Definitely could have been that someone failed to remove that decal.

I believe that Marc happened to come across a very modest and humble 2 million miler!

Definitely could have been that someone failed to remove that decal.

I believe that Marc happened to come across a very modest and humble 2 million miler!

BTW...

It was at the office/driver "lounge" / lot area of the Target DC (not a "random" encounter)...

1. "Accident Free"? Is that 100%? "At Fault"? What about "parking lot" type stuff? The reason I ask is you say all new drivers make mistakes yet that amazing accomplishment not only suggests the absence of rookie mistakes but also a bit of luck staying clear of other's mistakes as well.

It's certainly possible to be in the Million Miler club and accomplish that "accident free." It's not often a brand new driver achieves that from the get go, but a few manage it. If you want to have the record of a million safe miles, you might have to start the count after you've gotten past that first "preventable" rookie incident.

I suspect the driver you spoke with was being honest about the decal. Usually a driver will be very proud of that accomplishment. Their humility will show when they attribute their success to good luck, as most of them do. After you've gotten that far along you realize you've been very fortunate or lucky to have accomplished such a feat.

If a driver is in need of a truck and one is available, they may not bother with such details as removing a decal. They like to keep their assets and their good drivers moving. They can always remove a decal later at a more convenient time.

I think it was Bruce who had a million mile decal on the truck he was issued.

I certainly don't belong to any million mile clubs, but I was very proud of having three accident/ incident of any kind years... until the roundabout where my tandems went over a curb and I broke a slack adjuster.

Those three years were mostly due to Grammy style caution, and a boat load of luck lol.

I sometimes wonder if road engineers ever take into account 73 foot long Tractor Trailers when they design some of those things. I've come across several VERY cramped ones to say the least. Then there is always the 4 wheeler that is intent on squeezing around you to save 10 seconds!

I think it was Bruce who had a million mile decal on the truck he was issued.

Yup, I inherited my first tractor from a million miler and it had a nice decal on the drivers side. It led to a few amusing encounters like the one Marc described.

My road trainer was a 2 million miler who was on pace for his third million this month. He told me that when he was a rookie he had 30,000 miles when he forgot to remove the fuel pump hose from the curb side tank and drove off with the hose. That meant he had to start from zero and lost his first 30,000.

Thanks everyone for the answers. I guess it can go either way then.