The Brightside: Perdue Truck Drivers Spend Decades Behind The Wheel

SALISBURY, Md. — Some careers are measured in years; others are measured in miles. WMDT spoke with Perdue truck drivers who have dedicated decades of their lives to the road in the newest edition of The Brightside, sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative.

Every day, they climb into the cab, fire up the engine and hit the road. For some Perdue truck drivers, the road has become a career, a routine and, for many, a source of pride.

Perdue oil driver and safety ambassador Gary Hatcher has been a truck driver for 30 years, spending nearly two decades behind the wheel at Perdue. His journey started with riding in a truck with his uncle as a young child.

“I got out of high school; I joined the military. I got out working in a manufacturing plant, found out that wasn’t for me. I made a phone call to my uncle on Friday, got a permit, Sunday night I was on the truck,” Hatcher said.

At Perdue, drivers transport a variety of products. Hatcher specializes in vegetable oil. “We deliver to bakeries, places that make, you know, salad dressing, any kind of condiments, barbecue sauce. We haul certain types of oils that goes into candy bars, medicine, just stuff like that,” Hatcher said.

Hatcher takes pride in delivering oil that will eventually become part of a variety of products.

“I go to a lot of the same customers. I know them on a first-name basis. Some of them I have their cell phone number. So, if I’m going to a customer, I’m the first truck. Say I had an 8 a.m. appointment. I know that customer comes in at 5:30. I’ll text him the day before. Hey, I’m coming in tomorrow. Can I come in early? Yeah, I’ll be in at six. Come on in. I’ll get unloaded early. I come back home. I’ll go fishing for two or three hours, then I’ll go home,” Hatcher said.

Another Perdue employee, Ronald Nock, is a PTI Class A truck driver who has spent 45 years working behind the wheel, including 33 years at Perdue.

Nock said his father-in-law got him interested in trucking at a young age. “My father-in-law, he seems have big bucks, right? I’m driving a truck and I feel right in it. Right? Yeah, I started driving from there, but I was 25 when I first went to school for track trail,” Nock said.

With decades of driving experience under his belt, Nock told WMDT his favorite places to drive are Maine and New Hampshire in the fall. That experience led to one of his favorite memories on the road.

“All of a sudden, New Hampshire one day and a moose walked across front of my truck, and I got to my next delivery stop. I said, man, this big horse walked in front of my truck today, and they laughed and said, there was a moose. That was funny,” Nock said.

Nock has 30 years of safe driving at Perdue. He said his approach to safety is to always be prepared for the unexpected.

“I always say I always expect the unexpected. Don’t follow too close, keep the phone out of your hand and don’t come to work with a lot of distractions, worries. And just then, you know, get plenty of rest when you do get home and keep it. Keep your eyes on the road. That’s the best thing you can do,” Nock said.

After decades of driving, these two men have all sorts of stories to tell. After thousands of miles, what keeps these drivers moving forward?

“The freedom of it. When you get behind the wheel, you’re in control. You don’t have nobody standing behind you telling you to do this or do that. You’re in control. You get to see the country and it’s just the freedom of it,” Hatcher said.

Nock added, “It’s been great. It’s been a good ride. You know? So, if I say good. Right. I’m not ready to leave it yet, so I’ll leave it at that.”