Dot Veteran Spotlight: Terry Polzien

Written by Roger H. Still, Assistant Transportation Manager

In 1984, his junior year of high school, Terry joined the Oklahoma National Guard as a motor transport operator in the then 64C/now 88M career field. He joined the Army Guard hoping to find a career and to help with funding college later. That following summer, before his senior year, Terry left for Fort Dix in New Jersey where he spent 10 weeks going through Basic Combat Training. Upon graduation from high school, he went to Fort Dix to complete seven weeks of Advanced Individual Training.  

Terry shares that he is grateful for his time in the service. “It instilled in me a sense of discipline and the initiative to try—you can achieve whatever you set your mind to,” said Terry. 

Terry explained that his time of service developed other skills like attention to detail, patience, and punctuality. It also provided him with specialized skills and training in everything from land navigation to marksmanship to specialized vehicle driving.

Terry’s Military Experience

Terry first deployed with the Oklahoma National Guard to Exercise Campaign Reforger (from return of forces to Germany) Reforger 86 – “Certain Sentinel.” It was an annual exercise and campaign conducted during the Cold War by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The task was intended to ensure that NATO could quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact. It was after this experience that Terry decided to transition into the active-duty Army and, in the summer of 1986, was reassigned to Ferris Barracks as part of the First Armored Division in Erlangen, Germany. 

While in Germany, Terry learned the art of transporting heavy equipment. He had to move the 140,000-pound M88A2 Recovery Vehicle that was used to move damaged Abrams Tanks and other associated heavy equipment to forward operating locations. He was challenged by the terrain in that part of the world, as he had to utilize tank trails and one-lane gravel roads through mountains and small villages throughout the German countryside. This unique experience helped him develop outstanding defensive driving skills that flowed naturally into his CDL training and Smith Systems defensive driving.

Terry’s most memorable time in the service was when he was exploring Germany and visiting most of its regions. He also was in Germany when the Berlin Wall fell—this was significant for him since he had visited it not too long before it fell.

In 1989, Terry was reassigned to the 8th Ordinance 82nd Airborne Division in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and then transitioned out of the Army in 1990. Terry went immediately to truck driving and, over the next 16 years, served as a truck driver in many capacities. He was an owner-operator, company driver, and the director of training of the Ardmore Truck Driving School before he joined Dot Transportation, Inc. (DTI). In June of 2006, Terry joined the Dot family as a Customer Delivery Specialist at Dot Foods Oklahoma. It didn’t take long for Terry to get acquainted with Dot, and in just a couple years, Terry became a driver trainer.  

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