Imagine seeing the snowcapped Colorado mountains and the golden wheatfields of Illinois all in a day’s time. Sam Pinney doesn’t have to imagine—being a Dot driver means that he gets a change of scenery every day! Sam has been a driver for Dot Transportation, Inc. (DTI) for five years and has driven more than 475,000 miles accident-free.
Being a truck driver for a living isn’t easy, and neither is being married to one. The hours on the road, the time away from home—the job isn’t for everyone. But if anyone understands the role of truck drivers in our industry, it’s AR Specialist Debbie Pinney, Sam’s wife. She has worked at Dot as an Accounts Receivable Specialist for three years. In fact, Sam delivers to one of Debbie’s biggest customers—Reinhart.
When Sam decided to be a truck driver, Debbie had misgivings.
“I wanted to support his change of careers, but I was also worried about the hours he’d be away from home and the dangers he might encounter,” she said. She says she quickly made her peace with his decision, though.
Since our drivers can take family members for a ride-along, Debbie couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about one of her customers while also spending more time with Sam. So, the Pinneys set out for Wisconsin and a Reinhart delivery.
“Staying the night in the back of the truck wasn’t anything like staying in a five-star hotel, but it was neat to get to experience things from Sam’s perspective,” Debbie said. And not many employees can say they spent the night in their customer’s parking lot!
Dot prides itself on having some of the most dedicated truck drivers in the country and Sam is no exception. Debbie recalls the time Sam lost an engine an hour north of Milwaukee. He knew his customer was waiting on him and Sam isn’t one to disappoint. He called an uber that picked him up and took him to Milwaukee to get a replacement truck that he drove back to hook up to the trailer to make the delivery. “He is resourceful, that’s for sure,” Debbie said while laughing.
Debbie said Sam speaks only positively of his job and the customers to which he delivers. Merrill Food Distributing in Wisconsin keeps a fork with Sam’s name on it and invite him to eat with them while he’s there.
“Sam tells me all the time that his customers are more like friends to him. That puts me at ease about him being away from home,” said Debbie.
Back home, Debbie keeps herself busy during Sam’s road trips with hobbies, like painting furniture and working on the house they are building. She also uses the time to snuggle her seven-month-old grandson without having to share him with Sam.
Sam credits his successful career as a trucker to the support of the DTI staff.
“Lots of companies claim to treat their employees like family, but Dot really does. When I’m working with my counterparts in DTI, I know I’m being taken care of and that’s what makes me love what I do,” Sam said, nodding. “I love my job.”
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