Driver Chris Weik Achieves Four Million Safe Miles

on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 in Awards & Recognition

On Saturday, November 2, TMC owner-operator Chris Weik became the third driver in company history to achieve an incredible professional milestone: four million safe miles.

A professional driver since 1977, Weik joined TMC in 1995 when TMC acquired the company he was driving for. At the time, he wasn’t sure if he would stay with TMC: “I said, ‘Oh, I’ll see how it goes.’ And I stayed,” Weik says.

That decision to stay has turned into nearly 30 years with TMC, and during that time, Weik has been one of the fleet’s most reliable and outstanding drivers, with more safe miles than almost any other driver in the fleet.

Weik says he enjoys the solitude that driving gives him, as well as the chance to see new places. His career has taken him to all of the lower 48 states and Canada, including the remote Northwest Territories. Because he’s enjoyed driving so much, he says, it has hardly felt like a job. “If you love what you do, it’s no longer a job. It’s just something I like to do, but I’m getting paid for it,” he says.

Times Change, But Safety Is Constant

Weik’s long career as a driver has given him the opportunity to see some major changes in the driving profession. “Now you have your satellite, your tablet—you have everything. It’s a dream. You don’t have boxes of city maps—I’m talking hundreds of maps,” Weik laughs. “And you had to do check calls at the phone bank at the truck stop,” he adds. “Now you have phones, communication, GPS. It’s a lot better.”

But Weik emphasizes that innovations like cell phones and tablets don’t change the need for drivers to be engaged in their work. “Those things are tools,” he says, “but you gotta use some common sense.”

And common sense has defined Weik’s more-than-40-year career as a truck driver. When it comes to safety, he says his advice to new drivers is to take it slow. “You just take your time. You just be safe,” he says. “You’re not in a race. Your first few loads are gonna be slow. Each load you take, you get more secure in yourself. Don’t get overconfident—but you get more secure.”

Chris York, who has been Weik’s fleet manager for more than 10 years, says that his relaxed, commonsense approach to driving has helped him succeed behind the wheel. York recalls when he himself transitioned to the fleet manager role from being a driver and started working with Weik: “I was a little intimidated by working with someone with that much experience as a driver and an owner operator and me being new in the seat as a fleet manager. He told me up front, ‘Young man, I am easy to get along with.’ He is exactly that. He helped guide me through the things that he wanted to do as an owner-operator and also through things that helped me become a better fleet manager.”

Even with all of this experience and expertise, Weik says that he never stops keeping safety a top priority. “Safety becomes a part of you,” he says. “I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to do paperwork. I don’t want to go to a safety office and get yelled at for something stupid I did. Safety becomes a natural thing. You take it to work, and you take it home with you.” Weik says that his family has even adopted this safety mindset—his daughter does a pre-trip inspection around her car before every road trip.

Dedication and Success on the Road

Over time, Weik’s daily commitment to doing the job right and staying safe has built into an incredible four million safe miles.

“Over the 11 years that I have worked with him, he has always worked hard, worked safely, and communicated better than expected,” says York. “He does things the TMC way every day, and as he says, ‘I ride for the brand.’ Chris is a great example of how to be a successful driver with character and integrity that others should strive to emulate.”

TMC’s former Vice President of Safety Todd Bunting, who worked with Weik for many years, echoes York’s thoughts about Weik: “He’s diligent about getting the job done the right way. He won’t do anything that’s not safe—he’s a professional,” says Bunting.

Weik is grateful to his daughter and his close family members for their support throughout his time on the road, which has allowed him to be so successful as a TMC owner-operator.

Congratulations to Chris Weik for receiving this award! Four million safe miles is an incredible accomplishment, and we’re so proud to have him as part of the Black and Chrome fleet.