It’s not unusual for long-haul drivers to travel through all 48 lower states. It’s another thing when an OTR driver is described as a “world traveler.”
That was one of the descriptors for 2017 Owner-Operator of the Year finalist Phil Keith during the Truckload Carriers Association’s closing banquet at its recent annual meeting in Kissimmee, Florida. Minutes later he was announced as winner, and the recipient of the honor’s $25,000 cash prize, made possible by sponsors Cummins and Love’s Travel Stops.
Addressing a few hundred fleet executives, Keith cited the millions of accident-free miles driven by him and owner-operator award finalists Kevin Kocmich and Bryan Smith. “There’s only 24,000 miles around the equator,” he said. “So keeping that in mind, we’ve been in orbit for a long time.”
The global orbit for Keith has been a zigzag one, beginning long before he learned to drive a truck. He beats most truckers in the range of places he’s been as well as modes of transportation he routinely uses. He and his team-driver wife, Eva, enjoy sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, close to their home, and taking long motorcycle trips.
Keith, who turns 60 this month, was born in France. He later lived in Spain, then moved to the United States. He grew up mostly in Freeport, Illinois, though his family relocated frequently. Much later, he returned to Europe for a long vacation, but his biggest international road trip came via service with the U.S. Marines from 1975 to 1983. That included a four-year stint in the Philippines, but he also was stationed in Hawaii, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Okinawa.
—
Keith offers these tips for success as an owner-operator:
- If you want to make more money, have fewer expenses, change your oil on time, and get better fuel mileage. “Get air in your tires,” he says. “Keep your truck greased.” He says he’s “constantly looking for something that’s breaking.”
- Maintain a strong escrow account. “You’ve got to be prepared for a month’s downtime at least,” he says. “You better have at least $10,000 in the bank.”
- “I don’t count miles, I count dollars,” says Keith, who’s always worked on a percentage of revenue. “Giving up a percentage to WEL for their logistics support is so important.” He enjoys not having to worry about competing with bigger fleets, chasing down unpaid invoices or getting discounts on tires and fuel.
- Let four-wheelers have their way if they’re being aggressive. “I’m not going to fight you. I tell younger drivers you have to avoid situations where you have to use your brakes to get out of it.”
—
Phil Keith enjoys long road trips on his 2007 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic. He drove 600 miles each way to the Truckload Carriers Association annual meeting in Florida from his home in Long Beach, Mississippi. He and his wife, Eva, “try to take a month-long vacation every year,” often on his Harley, he says. Once it was a 30-day 6,200-mile trip through the Northwest with seven other motorbiking friends. Last year, he and Eva did an 11-day 3,500-mile bike trip to Maine.
The Keiths consider Green Bay, Wisconsin their second home and are big Packers fans. Keith and Eva are leased to WEL Companies, based near Green Bay. They married in 2000 and settled in Long Beach.
The Keiths usually haul freight coast to coast, but with stops in Wisconsin. “We stay out 21 to 24 days, then go home seven to 10 days,” Phil says. “When we get home, we want to stay there and enjoy it.” One favorite pastime is getting out on their sailboat, whether racing in a local yacht club event or just sailing around Gulf of Mexico islands for pleasure. That’s Keith (right) on his 25-foot Hunter sailboat, “Blow me away.”
The Keiths’ current truck is a 2017 Peterbilt 579 with a 565-hp Cummins. Next year they plan to order a 2020 Pete 579 with a custom sleeper that includes a bathroom and a kitchen sink. Bolt Custom Sleepers will partner with Peterbilt on the project.
One of Keith’s former trucks, a 2007 Peterbilt 386 with graphics of dolphins, earned three Best of Show trophies in competition associated with the Truck Convoy that supports the Special Olympics. It also appeared as a Cat Scales Supertruck card. Keith has also served as a Trucker Buddy partner.
Phil Keith didn’t hold back when his name was announced as the winner of the 2017 Owner-Operator of the Year award at the Truckload Carriers Association banquet at the Gaylord Palms Resort outside of Orlando, Florida. Next to him is WEL Companies President and CEO Bruce Tielens. Phil and Eva Keith lease their truck to WEL, based in De Pere, Wisconsin, next to Green Bay. The fleet has about 500 trucks, most of them company-owned, serving the food, beverage and dairy industries. After starting as a driver for WEL, Keith managed WEL’s terminal in Gulfport from 1986 to 1993. Then he moved back to WEL’s home office, serving as dispatcher and customer service manager. Keith met Eva when he was her dispatcher, and they now drive team, netting around $120,000 to $140,000 in recent years.
After winning $25,000 with the owner-operator award, Keith addressed fleet executives at TCA’s annual meeting. The same amount was given to Stephen Richardson of Tennessee-based Big G Express, named 2017 Company Driver of the Year. Finalists for both awards won $2,500 each. All prize money was made possible by contest sponsors Cummins and Love’s Travel Stops. Partnering with TCA in producing the awards are Overdrive, for the owner-operator award, and sister brand Truckers News, for the company driver award.
