Werner Welcomes First FOUR Million Miler

Werner Driver Endorf: Four million miles of safe driving! by Amy Yeck

Four million miles. That's about 160 times around the Earth. Driving such a distance, especially without having a preventable accident, seems
unfathomable to most professional drivers. Well, Werner Driver Charley Endorf recently reached that notable milestone. For Charley, the accomplishment is all in a day's work. "I never put that much value or thought into reaching a certain goal or getting so many miles," he said. "I just feel very fortunate to be able to accomplish this milestone." Charley's perseverance and dedication to the profession he loves certainly haven't been a hindrance to his amazing driving record, but this driver said he continues to find inspiration from a more spiritual source.

"I know I cannot do anything like this without a co-pilot," Charley said. "I place a lot of value in God, because without him, this is not possible. He wakes me up and gives me good health, and my parents always said that if you've got your health, you've got your wealth." Charley joined Werner on June 15, 1976. Before that he spent five years behind the wheel for a car dealership in Fairbury, NE. No stranger to hard work, he said while at the dealership he racked up about 700,000 OTR miles.

"What I love about driving is the lack of monotony," Charley said. "I don't think I would ever be happy working in an office. On the road, you have freedom and independence. You're in control of your own day." Charley drives a dedicated route for Werner, which takes him to Denver and back three times a week (FYI: You'd have to make the round trip from Omaha to Denver nearly 3,600 times to reach four million miles!).

"Werner is a company that truly has been good to me," he said. "Of course you're going to be discouraged now and then, but if you pay your dues, you will be rewarded. Werner has been there for me and has given me the opportunity to excel in my career. Georgia-Pacific doesn't make enough paper for me to write down all the ways this company has been nothing but good for me and my family."

During his expansive travels, Charley has been to every contiguous state in the Union except Maine. "In the early years of my career, I really liked the west coast," he said. "Later on, I favored the northeast states. They're the most beautiful in the fall. Nothing beats Nebraska though."

Things certainly have changed since Charley first hit the road as a professional driver. Unfortunately, he said behaviors displayed on the highways of this nation by four-wheel drivers and truck drivers alike have taken a definite turn for the worse. "Drivers aren't nearly as courteous as they were in the past," he said. "Everything has gotten faster, and with it has come a real lack of common courtesy and respect. It really is an issue on the road, which is sad.

He said he has a simple recipe for success as a professional driver - patience, hard work and common sense. Even though the times, they have-a-changed, harley, who is 54 years old, said he doesn't plan to turn in his big rig keys anytime soon. "My goal was to retire at age 60, but with the high cost of health care and Social Security benefits being so poor, that's not going to happen," he said. "So I'll keep driving!" Charley has always called the Cornhusker state home. He was born in Lincoln, NE and he and his wife, Kay, live in Fairbury with their grandson, Clayton. Charley and Kay have one daughter, Tammy, who lives
in Colorado Springs; and two sons, Burnie, who lives in Plattsmouth, NE, and Cliff, who died in a 1991 car accident.

In his spare time, Charley enjoys watching Nebraska football and basketball, hitting the golf course, and working in his yard.

Werner Enterprises is a truckload carrier of general commodities in interstate and intrastate commerce. The company, headquartered in Omaha, NE, runs dry vans, flatbeds and temperature-controlled vans in the 48 contiguous states and Canada and Mexico. It operates full-service terminals in Allentown, PA; Denver, CO; Indianapolis, IN; Springfield, OH; Atlanta, GA; Fontana, CA; Dallas, TX; and Phoenix, AZ. Werner Enterprises' common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol WERN. The Werner Enterprises web site address is www.werner.com.

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