Rewarding Safe Driving Through Million Mile Awards
One thing you’ll hear a lot about at J.B. Hunt is the importance of safety. It’s not just something we talk about - it is a core value and fundamental to our culture. For us, safety is part of everything we do, whether it’s in an office, a shop or the cab of a truck.
We practice safety at every possible turn, and one way we celebrate safety is by rewarding our drivers for their dedication to safe driving through our Million Mile Award.
Being One of the Safest Trucking Companies
We are always evaluating ways to improve safety and provide continuing education around training, risk identification and prevention. For drivers, safety training begins during the onboarding process and continues throughout each driver’s career. We also strive to implement the newest available safety technologies in our fleet to amplify our safety impact for both our drivers and the motoring public, such as collision mitigation and forward-facing cameras.
Drivers in Dedicated Contract Services receive account specific training and uphold safety standards by staying updated with current safety practices in the industry. In addition, they are trained on special safety standards related to food service and agricultural products, and we maintain a variety of certifications related to the transport of food products to make sure goods arrive safely.
For our Final Mile delivery teams, we have a strict screening process for both company drivers and third-party contract carriers. We understand the importance of sending someone into a customer’s home, so this helps us to provide greater customer safety when completing an in-home delivery.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, we acted quickly to implement safety protocols such as enhanced cleaning, supplying PPE for our employees and community, transitioning to remote work where possible, and launching new technologies like an Electronic Bill of Lading to keep our employees and customers safe.
Because safety is a core value, we reward it in big ways – and one of our favorite safety initiatives is Million Mile.
Safe Driving Rewarded Through Million Mile Awards
We started the Million Mile program in 1996 and have recognized more than 4,100 company drivers for achieving at least one million safe miles. In fact, last year we celebrated our very first five-million-mile driver! Reaching a milestone of one million safe miles takes a driver about seven to 10 years to accomplish.
“Our Million Mile drivers represent the epitome of who we want all of our drivers to be,” said Nick Hobbs, chief operating officer and EVP. “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.”
In addition to having their name listed on the Million Mile Wall at our corporate headquarters, drivers receive a safe driving bonus for their achievement. Bonuses start at $5,000 for their first million miles and double for each million after that, up to $50,000. In total, we have awarded more than $33 million in safety bonuses.
In 2001 we began hosting an annual celebration to honor the drivers who achieve two million or more safe miles. We roll out the red carpet and give the drivers the recognition they deserve for achieving an amazing milestone.
What is the Million Mile Celebration?
Each year, drivers who meet a million-mile milestone are invited to our headquarters in Lowell, Arkansas for a multi-day celebration. They are treated to an honorary dinner and given the opportunity to visit with company leadership, but the highlight of their trip is participating in the Million Mile Walk of Fame. Employees line the breezeway and four flights of stairs at the main entrance of our corporate headquarters and cheer on the drivers and their families as they make their way through the crowd.
“J.B. Hunt, what they did for us here with the celebration and everything, they showed me what I had done. Then I realized ‘Ok, this is a big deal,’” said Michael, a J.B. Hunt Dedicated driver. “They went all out. They did not hold back with the celebration.”
Through events like Million Mile, we’re able to show that safety is part of our culture and one of our priorities. Whether it’s through new technology, advanced training or recognition of a job well done, we will continue to be a safety-focused company as we work to create the most efficient transportation network in North America. Visit our website to learn more about our safety culture.