Defensive driving has been the key to staying accident-free throughout a 32-year and counting driving career, says owner-operator Glen Horack.
He’s accumulated more than 4.3 accident-free miles since he started trucking in 1984.
“The biggest challenge to staying accident free is everybody else out here,” he said. “You’ve got to pay attention to everything going on around you at all times.”
For the second year in a row, Horack is a finalist for the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive Owner-Operator of the Year award, the winner of which will receive $25,000. The award, sponsored by Cummins and Love’s Travel Stops, recognize drivers who have driven safely, enhanced the image of trucking and served their communities.
Horack and owner-operator Edward Mark Tricco are the two finalists for this year’s Owner-Operator of the Year award. The winner will be named Tuesday, March 8, at TCA’s annual convention in Las Vegas, Nev.
Horack was an Owner-Operator of the Year runner-up last year, and he was named a Missouri Trucking Association Driver of the Month in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. He placed fourth in sleeper class in the 2011 Truck Driving Championships, sixth in 2012 and second in 2013. He’s also won numerous company awards.
Horack, out of Elkland, Mo., is leased to Prime Inc. and has been driving for the company for 23 years, and he said the company has been “the best partner you could ask for.”
