Hattiesburg, MISS. & Shelbyville, TENN. – This year, Nationwide Express (NWE), now Jones Logistics (JoLo), is proud to recognize and celebrate beloved CDL truck driver Larry Hamilton for recently exceeding five million safe miles during his driving tenure with NWE. Larry has been with the company almost since its founding 42 years ago and is highly regarded not only for achieving this major milestone, but also for his character, great work ethic, and positive attitude.
“Most companies won’t recognize safe miles from a previous company,” commented Tim Edelstein, VP of Safety. “So to accomplish this, [Larry] had to put in nearly forty years dedicated to one company and do that without having a single at-fault accident.”
Given these requirements, it’s extremely rare to see a CDL driver reach five million safe miles. It takes a lot of dedication, not only to one company, but also to always doing the right thing. The job of a truck driver is hardly ever easy, and just one simple overlook on a pre or post check can be the culprit of a road accident. Every day Larry has always been committed to the safety of himself, the equipment he is held responsible for, and the motoring public.
Larry’s career has taken him all over the United States. During the first thirty years of Larry’s time with NWE, his miles mainly occurred over the road (OTR) and his routes changed week after week depending on what needed to be moved and where it needed to go. In fact, he’s hauled everything from toothpaste to auto parts. One day he may have been running a load to California, then he would find himself in New York the next week.
Despite the unpredictability and long days that inevitably go hand in hand with OTR driving, Larry always met his job with positivity and gratitude, just as he does today. He’s never been one to shy away from a challenge or learn a new skill, and true to common culture, Larry has a very customer-centric and safety-driven approach to the way he does his job.
When talking about Larry’s attention to detail, Stuart Evans, VP of Operations, commented that "Larry is very thorough...He has an ear to the ground and knows what’s going on with our customers and each facility, and gives updates. He really learns who the customer is. Everywhere he’s been, he’s treated as one of their own because he’s taken such good care of them, been safe, thorough, and smart about the way he does his job.”
Larry is an integral and beloved member of the driving family. Tim Edelstein went on to say that, “Larry is the guy that I use as an example. Any time I am training drivers or onboarding them to the company, I reference Larry almost every time, talking about how he does what he does... How has he made it forty years? He treats every day like his first.”
Larry now runs regional, dedicated hazmat loads throughout the midsouth, including Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, and is based in Clarksville, TN. He was honored and recognized for his accomplishment of driving five million safe miles on Saturday, September 23, 2023 during JoLo’s Shelbyville, TN national truck driver appreciation celebration.
About Jones Logistics
For over 24 years, Jones Logistics (JoLo) has been focused on delivering customized freight solutions including dedicated services, freight brokerage and distribution to clients across the United States. The expertise of JoLo extends beyond general transportation to include specialized services such as a private fleet, yard, management, warehousing, and white-glove solutions. Our experience with specialized equipment, such as trailers for scrap material, forest products, over-dimensional, building products, and other industry-specific requirements, enables us to provide the most cost-effective solution for any transportation requirement. In February of 2023, Nationwide Express was acquired by Jones Logistics. Before the acquisition, NWE had been in business for 40 years and was based in Shelbyville, TN.