Walmart Distribution welcomes ninth member to exclusive club

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Dale Long is nearing the five-million mark.

That?s a lot of pavement, and on Dec. 7, Long was recognized for the last three-million accident-free miles he has driven, becoming the ninth member of the Walmart Mt. Pleasant Distribution Center?s three million mile club.

He?s far from done. ?I was really hoping I would make three million miles and now I?m hoping for three-and-one-half million miles and then I will probably retire,? Long, 59, said as he eyed his new ?electric blue? Freightliner tractor sitting a few feet away.

A 26-year driver for Walmart, he has spent 43 years behind the windshield, logging 1.5-million miles for U.S. Fiber before joining Walmart and also having begun his career hauling grain and livestock.

He said he came by his career naturally. ?My dad drove a truck and farmed. He kind of went from driving truck to farming, I went from farming to driving truck.?

An Oskaloosa resident who makes a 160-mile roundtrip to pick up his truck in Mt. Pleasant, Long said he began driving a truck on the farm at age 10.

It was pretty much all he?s ever wanted to do and now that he is driving for Walmart he feels like he?s on the highway to heaven.

?Walmart has made me a better driver,? he stated. ?They really stress defensive driving and give you good instruction and training.?

Long said he would like to drive at least another seven years but admits that life on the pavement isn?t for everyone.

?When everything is perfect, you don?t want to leave (driving). There?s nothing better that being on the road during a nice spring day or driving at night and listening to the Grand Ole Opry,? he explained. ?Other times you get tired of it, want to get out and go home. It is difficult being apart from your family and you just have to catch up on the weekend.?

In addition to his three-million accident-free miles, Long is also in exclusive company when behind the wheel of his blue truck. ?There are only two of them in the (entire Walmart) fleet and you have to admit it is a pretty blue,? observed Mike Billups, director of Mt. Pleasant?s Walmart Distribution plant.

Long is also quick to deflect the credit.

?I did not do all this myself,? he began. ?Walmart always makes sure you have plenty of time to get there, doesn?t pressure you to get there and they allow you to stop in bad weather. This is really a good job.

?I also have had a lot of help from the motoring public, there are drivers who have looked out for me. The dispatch and safety departments here are great. So, I have had a lot of help. It has been a team effort.?

As for as the highways, he said attitudes are changing among drivers. ?There are a lot of distracted drivers and a lot of drivers in their own little world.?

His route is not a constant. Long drives primarily in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri and enjoys going to Yankton, S.D., on Monday mornings. ?I always try to get that route,? he said with a wink.

The miles will come easier now with his new tractor, which he received during a ceremony at the center Dec. 7. In addition to better suspension, the Freightliner has a flat-screen television, leather seats and microwave. Formerly, three million, accident-free drivers were rewarded with a ?black cherry? Freighliner, but now the chosen color is a medium blue.

Long has two step-children with his wife, Diane, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.