Published: November 12, 2007 09:26 am         

Coast-To-Coast Success

Cumberland man earns National Truck Driver of the Year Award

CUMBERLAND - With 3.9 million miles on the road, accident-free by the way, William Gray has seen the sun rise and set on countless horizons. His view is always from a moving position.

Gray has stopped for free-ranging cattle that decided they wanted to cross an interstate highway. He's been stopped by authorities checking for illegal immigrants aboard his tractor-trailer. He's driven in every state in the country except for the two that aren't attached to the other 48.

Gray has had to pull his 18-wheeler to the side of the berm and immediately seek medical assistance. He's watched lightning bolts strike the highway surface in front of his semi. He knows that when he see clouds on a certain mountain in New Mexico that he can anticipate snow on the interstate that lies ahead.

It's the life of a trucker and he loves it ... has loved it for the 28 years he has been eastbound and down. Ditto for westbound, northbound and southbound.

In September, Gray's love for his profession, along with his respect for what he does and his willingness to help others be safe on the highway, won him the American Trucking Association's 2007 National Truck Driver of the Year Award. Not bad when you figure there are 3.5 million other drivers out there that the honor could have been bestowed upon. He is only the second Maryland driver to win the award.

As a driver for UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation), Gray's trips are to Philadelphia and back five days a week, though he volunteers on occasion to go out in the sleeper with other drivers for days at a time. An example of such a trip is Cumberland to Kansas City to Denver to Salt Lake City to Chicago back to Salt Lake City and home to Cumberland.

The award recognizes truckers with outstanding driving records who work to enhance the image of the trucking industry, who encourage improved driver performance and who demonstrate a general appreciation for highway safety.

Gray has been feted in Pittsburgh and Orlando for his accomplishment. He anticipates additional attention at UPS Freight headquarters in Richmond in January.

Gray and his wife, Donna, have been married for 25 years. His daughter, Marjorie Gray, also works at UPS Freight. There are two sons, Billy in Oklahoma, and Michael in Kansas. The Grays have two grandchildren.

"My first advice to a new driver would be not to expect the gravy right away," Gray said, meaning they should not expect to be home every day as he is. Gray's diurnal drive to Philly, a 516-mile round trip, begins at 8 p.m. and he is usually home 12 hours later. The goods he delivers are heading to New England destinations. On the way home, his truck is filled with New England packages headed for Mid-Atlantic deliveries.

"New drivers who are on the road need to keep in touch with their families often," Gray said. "I've always been home for Christmas, though often I had to use the phone to wish my wife happy New Year."

Some of the accomplishments by Gray that helped make him Truck Driver of the Year include:

* Visits to local driving school during which he puts students in the truck so they can see the difficulties truck drivers have in determining what vehicles are around them.

* Coaching the Cumberland Sunday School basketball program.

* Speaking at career days on behalf of the trucking industry.

Gray, a Cumberland resident, started driving as a member of the U.S. Army during a military stint of almost 10 years. He traveled in convoys in Vietnam for one year.

"Basically, I like my job because I like to drive," Gray said Thursday at UPS Freight on King Street, having just gotten back from his nightly Philadelphia run. "I like the people in the trucking industry, the ones I work with here and the ones I meet as I travel.

"Driving is a great career," Gray said. "You get paid for being a tourist."

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.