LES BOHLKEN RETIRES WITH FOUR MILLION SAFE MILES

After 37 years with TMC and as one of very few drivers to achieve more than four million safe miles, specialized driver Les Bohlken retired at the end of 2023. Les was named as TMC’s Wheel Master in 1987, and he wore his Wheel Master jacket proudly as he celebrated his retirement.

Les started with TMC in 1986, and he says he has seen many changes at the company during his tenure. “In the old days, the office wasn’t half the size it was now, and the motel was a cornfield,” he says of the Des Moines headquarters and what is now the Baymont Inn and Suites. Les also remembers Harrold Annett, TMC’s late founder, who led the company until his death in 2021. “He was a very smart businessman. If you listened to him, you’d learn a lot,” Les notes.

TMC celebrated Les’s retirement with a reception in the Des Moines headquarters, to give company leaders a chance to say thank you to one of TMC’s most experienced drivers. Les traveled to Des Moines on TMC’s private jet from his home in Nebraska with one of his three daughters, his son-in-law, and several of his grandchildren to celebrate his long and impressive career.

Fleet manager Chad Reece, who worked with Les for over 20 years, says that Les has been an exceptional driver. “Les is from a generation that is the pinnacle of hard work, dependability, and doing the job with high ethical standards,” he says. “Les was always calm and professional no matter what good or bad challenges were thrown his way. He will be greatly missed, and I hope his knowledge, wisdom, and great attitude have worn off on many other drivers over the years.”

As he looks back on his career, Les is proud to have worked for a company known for its integrity, its top-of-the-line equipment, and its great employees. “It has been one hell of a ride,” he says.

Congratulations, Les, on your retirement! Thank you for your years of hard work and all your safe miles.