Local driver wins award

Millions of Miles Photo:

MILLIONS OF MILES — David Yates has been recognized as the Driver of the Year by Maine Motor Transport, after putting in over 3 million miles without a major accident.

PARIS — Anyone who calls David Yates one driver in a thousand is doing him a real disservice.

That's because the CN Brown employee was recently distinguished as the Driver of the Year by the Maine Motor Transport Association, beating out nearly 7,000 others for the distinction.

"David has been with us for 39 years now, and he's just a phenomenal driver," said CN Brown Manager Ken Cannell, who nominated Yates for the award.

The sheer number of miles that Yates has driven, safely, has given him a reputation at the company that borders on legendary.

"With more than 3 million miles of safe driving and deliveries under his belt, David has never had a major accident in his career," said Cannell.

With that many miles behind him, Yates could have driven all the way around the Earth — not once, but 100 times. And he'd still have enough miles left to drive to the moon and back.

Cannell says that Yates' strengths go beyond his time behind the wheel.

"I wanted to recognize the type of driver, and the type of person and worker that David is," said Cannell. "He's very dedicated to the company, and I just felt that it deserved recognition."

Cannell says that Yates has also developed a wisdom over the years that is helpful in advising the younger drivers .

"He’s knowledgeable about the product he’s transporting, the trucking industry, and the rules and regulations that go along with transporting hazardous material," said Cannell.

Yates has seen CN Brown change dramatically over the last four decades, growing from just four drivers to about 100.

Yates noticed that the roads, too, have changed over the years.

"There are many more direct routes to get places today, than back then,"noted Yates in the nomination packet.

Yates himself has played a small role in the shaping of the roads he's  traveled for so many years, including the interstate to St. Johnsbury Vermont, where passersby can still see the drill marks in the granite ledges.

"I hauled the fuel to the equipment that built that road,” said Yates.

The pool of candidates for the award is centered in Maine, but has members across the northeast.

It's voted on by a member of the state police, state members of the Federal Motor Carrier Association in Maine, and Maine Motor Transport.

In the past, CN Brown drivers have been recognized as the Driver of the Month, but one has never been selected as the Driver of the Year, despite four previous nominations over the past five years.

Yates received a plaque commemorating his achievement. He was also recognized as the CN Brown Driver of the Year for 2009.