Safety Insights

SAFETY & MAINTENANCE

Different Paths, Same Highway

Daniel Thompson Alabama Road Team Captain

‘Whether it’s

comforting an accident victim’s family or keeping a close eye out for people who make our interstates less safe, Alabama troopers are our highway heroes.’

Ibelieve that it’s every father’s dream that his son follows in their footsteps. Well, my son, Paul, didn’t exactly follow mine, but we still managed to end up on the same highway.

For those of you who don’t know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Daniel Thompson, I am a current Road Team Captain for the Alabama Trucking Association and a line haul driver for FedEx Freight.

I am also humbled to say that I was the 2018 Driver of the Year as selected by the ATA, which, I’ll add is the most prestigious award that an Alabama-based truck driver can receive. It is certainly a career highlight for me! Highway Heroes: Paul, left, and Daniel Thompson

Ever since Paul was born, I always thought he would be a trucker, or at least I hoped he would. I have made a very good living as a professional driver, and it seemed a natural choice.

Sometimes, though, God has plans for us that we don’t understand. It was on Christmas day in Paul’s fourth year of life that I felt his path in life was chosen. Santa Claus gave him a police badge and hat with a vinyl police jacket. That was it! From then on, everything revolved around being a policeman. Catching the bad guys and saving the day.

Time flies by, and twenty plus years later, equipped with a bachelor’s degree and two masters, Paul had to do a ride-along with the Tuscaloosa Police Department for a criminal justice project. It proved to be another sign I feel directed him on his way.

Paul came home, and over a cup of coffee, informed his mom, Susan, and me that he was not going to be a lawyer as we had assumed, but instead, he was going to be a police officer. As any mother and father would do, we supported his decision even though we clearly knew what a potentially dangerous job it is.

Over the next couple of years, I had the opportunity to swing into Tuscaloosa with my big rig and take my mandatory lunch break. I’d call Paul to see if he had time to grab a cup of coffee. If he wasn’t busy, he would pull in behind me with blue lights flashing. I often wondered what people passing by thought when they saw a policeman and a trucker walking towards each other