Tri-Citian Chris Poynor has spent the past 30 years driving trucks, and he recently celebrated some big achievements: 2 million accident-free miles and grand champion winner of the Washington Truck Driving Championships.

And the 52-year-old doesn’t plan on hitting the brakes on his trucking career any time soon – he’s in it for the long haul.

2 million safe miles

Poynor’s safe driving achievement is measured from when he started work at XPO, previously Con-way, 26 years ago. He drove his first four years with NorCo, but those miles weren’t factored into the award.

“I can remember when I first started with this company hearing of drivers doing a million miles, and I thought, ‘Oh my, that’s a lot of miles,’” Poynor said. “So when I got to 2 million … I was happy as a clam, smiling ear to ear.”

For Poynor, a driver sales representative at XPO, safety has always been important. 

“Probably one of the first things that I heard from anybody was the fact is, ‘Hey, that could be your family out there on the road. Would you want them to do the same thing?’” he said. “… I want to make sure that I get home safely, but I also want to make sure that anyone out there … can get home safely, and that their family can get home safely.”

Poynor grew up in what he said some call a “gearhead” family. His parents owned auto parts stores and were into racing. 

“I’ve kind of always been someone that wanted to drive,” he said.

His first driving experience was in the parts delivery trucks. At nighttime, he would be asked to pull them into the shop, just about 50 feet.

“It was just a thrill, and it just kind of went from there,” Poynor said.

Poynor initially started as a pickup and delivery driver. Now, he’s on what is called a day-line run. He drives from Pasco to the Idaho state line, picks up an additional trailer, and meets up with a Montana driver in Idaho. Then he does the whole thing in reverse. Poynor doesn’t make deliveries, he just moves the freight down the road.

He’s done night-line runs, too, but nothing “over-the-road” – he’s home at the end of every shift.

When he started out driving trucks, he took a 5-week program that taught him everything he needed to know. Later, he became a driving instructor for Con-way, as well as a safety trainer. 

By helping train new drivers and working to set a good example for them, he also improved his own driving career.

Chris Poynor, left, was recently honored for his achievements in safe and precise driving by XPO. Thomas Hamilton, service center manager, is on the right. Poynor has won his division at a state trucking competition nine times, sending him to the national competition eight times. He'll compete at the national level later this year.

| Courtesy XPO

Safety tips

Poynor said that distracted drivers on their phones continue to be an issue. 

“Some people don’t realize that looking down at the phone for 4 or 5 seconds, you’re traveling probably a football field and a half,” he said. Though it’s only a few seconds, it’s a long distance to go without looking at the road.

Poynor’s advice? Be ready for the road before you start driving. “If you’ve got to set up your GPS on your phone or something like that, get it ready. Don’t try to do things going down the road. Keep those distractions to a very minimum,” he said.

Because he drives the same route, he doesn’t need his phone for GPS. He keeps it mounted but rarely uses it. 

Some of his other safe driving tips include:

• Look as far ahead as possible while driving and aim high in steering.
• Keep a 360-degree awareness at all times; knowing what traffic is behind you will give you a good idea of what to expect when it is eventually alongside you.
• Leave yourself an out in case a situation arises. Be sure to leave plenty of distance – you need at least 4 seconds in front of you to stop or react to a situation. For a commercial rig like Poynor drives, that number is closer to 7 or 8 seconds.
• Use turn signals so others on the road understand what you’re trying to do. Poynor also keeps his headlights on to be as visible as possible.

Competitions

Millions of miles of safe driving aren’t Poynor’s only accomplishment. He’s also been honored for his precise driving in state and national competitions. 

The Washington Truck Driving Championships are open to any driver who has been accident-free for the past year, and Poynor has been competing since 2002. 

“It’s kind of a neat event that kind of showcases on how well we can maneuver these vehicles in tight situations,” he said.

This year, he won his division and was named grand champion at the state level; he’ll get the chance to go to the national competition later this year. 

Poynor has won his division at state level nine times, sending him to nationals eight times. Out of his nine state wins, four times he was named the overall champion, and twice, in 2016 and 2017, he won his division at the national level, though he’s never been selected as the overall national champion. 

The competition includes challenges meant to mimic various situations in pickup and delivery operations, like getting as close as possible to a target with the truck centered or running over a small strip of ground with one tire while making a turn. There have been serpentine challenges and navigating through barrels.

There’s also a written exam of basic knowledge and a pre-trip inspection where drivers must find hidden defects.

Poynor’s coworker and cousin Rob Dean, who started with the company in the early 2000s, serves as his practice partner to prepare for competitions. Dean has been to nationals five times himself. 

Poynor said he has more competitions ahead of him. “I got plenty of years, and I enjoy what I do,” he said.