Kevin Kocmich is one of three finalists for the 2017 Owner-Operator of the Year award, produced by the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive. The winner, who will receive a $25,000 cash prize, will be announced in late March at TCA’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida. The other two finalists are Bryan Smith and Phillip Keith.
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Litchfield, Minnesota-based Kevin Kocmich, 56, leased to Diamond Transportation System, has been hauling oversized/overweight equipment throughout his 28-year driving career. He enjoys the added challenge of being one of the bigger vehicles on the road.
“It comes with a little prestige, I suppose,” he says. “There’s pride in what other drivers are seeing when you’re hauling down the road, especially when it’s military equipment. When I deliver every load, no matter what it is, I know it’s an accomplishment.”
The obstacles are numerous – curfews, weather, other drivers and traffic – but all of that makes it even more rewarding to deliver a load safely, which he’s done for more than 3 million miles.
“Defensive driving is the number-one thing you can do to stay clean,” he says. “Look out for everybody else, because they aren’t looking out for you.”
In recent years, Kocmich has focused on reducing idle time on his 2015 Peterbilt 579.
