Driving a truck means spending days if not weeks on the road, which for Don Lord has meant missing Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays and anniversaries with his family.
“It’s the job that you pick to do,” he said in an interview. “It’s not always good for you. I remember, you don’t always get what you want.”
That sacrifice hasn’t gone unnoticed. On Monday afternoon, Lord, a 29-year employee of Covenant Logistics, entered the ranks of the company’s 120 Club after traveling 3 million accident-free miles — the distance it takes to circumnavigate Earth 120 times. He’s only the second driver in the company’s nearly 40-year history to earn that honor.
Company leaders, alongside dozens of employees and Lord’s family, celebrated the milestone with a party at Covenant Logistics’ building off Birmingham Highway. Don’s son, Jason Lord, has been his traveling partner for the past 20 years, taking the day shift on their treks along the interstate. He was also honored Monday alongside his father, achieving 2 million miles on the road without an accident. That’s 80 times around the world.
“We have a number of members of the 80 Club,” the company’s president, Paul Bunn, told the crowd, “but never, ever in the history of Covenant — and I can’t tell you another trucking company because I know what some of our peers do — where we’ve had a team that had two people on a truck that were a member of the clubs. Much less a father-son team. This is a once-in-a-lifetime — maybe a once-in-an-industry — type of event.”
Leaders presented the duo with a pair of checks — $7,500 for Don and $2,500 for Jason. The company also showed off a truck with a custom wrap designed with Don Lord’s input, which proclaims his devotion to God, family and country.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga trucking company Covenant Logistics cuts ribbon for new facilities)
Started in 1986 by CEO David Parker and his wife, Jacqueline, Covenant Logistics began with 25 trucks and today takes in more than $1 billion in revenue.
“The commitment that they make is unbelievable,” Parker said. “That’s what it takes … You and I, we drive back downtown, and we wonder if we’re going to hit somebody. Well, these folks have been doing this for 3 million miles.”
Parker said the company is rooted in faith. Don Lord’s colleagues asked him how he had accumulated so many safe miles on the road.
“No. 1 is being a Christian and learning from God’s word,” Lord said. “It’s really easy to lose your temper out there on your road and lose perspective. If you listen, and you don’t even have to listen real hard, he’ll make things right with you.”
Jason Lord said his dad taught him to take one day and 1 mile at a time.
“Pay attention to everything — all your mirrors, the whole nine yards,” Jason Lord said. “You can’t let that up. Just keep God in mind. It’s Him that’s really doing it, laying His hand over you and protecting you going down the road. Not just you but everybody around you.”
As a young man, Don Lord recalls meeting other Christians who could spout off Bible verses from memory.
“It just aggravated me that I couldn’t memorize those verses like that,” he said in an interview. “Everyone would tell me, ‘You just have to practice.’ It takes time. It’s just like getting your million miles. It’s going to take time. Don’t give up on yourself.”
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.