Celebrating Safety: Veteran Truck Driver Jeff Tetzloff Marks Four Million Accident-Free Miles
TMAF Interviews Jeff Tetzloff, Professional Truck Driver for Crete Carriers, During National Safety Month
Throughout his 39-year career in trucking, professional truck driver Jeff Tetzloff has accumulated four million accident-free miles while on the road.
Growing up in the trucking industry, Jeff told TMAF, “I was raised in it…Trucking is in my blood.” Jeff’s grandfather was a truck driver and owner of a trucking company. Several of Jeff’s family members, including his uncles, worked in the industry.
As early as five-years-old, Jeff recalls spending a great deal of time around trucks — helping work on trucks and riding along with his grandfather and family members. With a love of trucking, at the age of 21, Jeff first began driving trucks full-time as a career. Seven years later, at age 28, Jeff joined Crete Carriers and has been driving for the company for 30 years now.
Jeff describes choosing the trucking industry as a career as one of the best decisions he has made. He said, “Driving a truck is a blessing. It made a good life for my wife and kids. It’s been a rewarding career.” At Crete Carriers, Jeff “found a job in this career — a stable, sound career with great people.”
As an Over-the-Road, or long-haul, truck driver, Jeff spends a lot of time on the road hauling goods to drop-off locations across the country. Having traveled to all 49 continental states, Jeff said his career in trucking taught him first-hand about the goods that are produced in the U.S. and in which state, which is one of the top reasons that he enjoys working in the trucking industry. He said, “When you haul for different companies, you figure out who owns what…You also learn about different parts of the country and what each state produces. It’s very educational.” Jeff also enjoys being able to travel and see the country while on the job, as well as meeting new people during his trips.
Safety is one of Jeff’s top priorities while on the road and when it comes to road safety, he said he takes it “one mile at a time, one day at a time.” Jeff told TMAF, “Everybody’s got family out there. I have a family and I want everyone to be safe. We all have to share the roads.” His advice for drivers on the road is to “Be patient. Be considerate. And, if you have to, slow down, especially in bad weather and in big cities.”
In April 2018, Jeff was invited to attend the White House with ATA on behalf of Crete Carriers, one of the three trucking companies nationwide selected by ATA. Jeff said visiting the nation’s capital and attending a speech by the President at the White House Rose Garden was an amazing experience and he felt it was a privilege to be selected to represent his company and the industry at the White House. He said, “35-years of trucking and who would have thought it would lead me to the White House.”
Jeff discusses his experience at the White House further in the video below.
A proud father of two daughters, Jeff credits God for helping guide him in all the right ways, including in finding his wife and selecting his career. He credits his wife for supporting him in his life and career, as well as his parents, grandparents, children and his company and colleagues.
In the video below, Jeff discusses how he got started in trucking and built a successful career.
