Million Mile Profile: Terry Peterson, Driver for Wayne Transports
Cummins engines power some of the most durable trucks on the road. So durable, in fact, that many Cummins-powered vehicles carry their drivers a million miles or more. When a driver passes this mark, they’re invited to join the Cummins Million Mile Club.
Today, we’re introducing you to one of those Million Mile Club members, Terry Peterson, a Wayne Transports driver from Lakeville, Minnesota…
Cummins: How did you get your start as a trucker?
Terry: After graduating from commercial pilot school in the late 80’s, I found flight instructor jobs were hard to come by. So, to make ends meet, I started driving for a guy with eight tandem-end dump trucks. We were stockpiling dirt for a new landfill near Orange Park, Florida. (Their dirt, of course, is sand.) A veteran driver taught me how to run a 13-speed, and I have been driving ever since – 26 years. I never went back to pursue my airline career.
Cummins: What made driving appealing to you, and why do you continue driving today?
Terry: I always liked to drive. I grew up on a large farm in Southwest Minnesota. We grew corn, alfalfa for hay, soybeans, oats and wheat. Being on a farm means numerous opportunities to operate trucks and large equipment. My favorite parts of being a commercial driver are the freedom and being able to see so much of this great country each and every working day.
Cummins: Whom do you drive for now, and what kind of work do you do?
Terry: I pull a tanker for Wayne Transports, hauling industrial chemicals. Specifically, I carry sodium hypochlorite 15%, also known as bleach, but this is a very strong concentration. I typically run the upper Midwest – Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska.
Cummins: What do you drive today?
Terry: I’ve got a 2009 Kenworth W900L with a 500-horsepower Cummins ISX15. I’ve driven it since first putting it into service on July 14, 2008. As of today, it’s got 1,013,241 miles on it.
Cummins: Why did you choose Cummins?
Terry: The good name Cummins has and the quality and reliability of the engine itself. When I had that first job driving dump trucks, one of the eight trucks, a Ford L9000, had a Cummins engine in it, and everyone was jealous of the guy who got to drive it. Later, I drove a Cummins in an International tractor hauling blacktop to highway repaving projects throughout South Dakota. Then, from 1992 through 1996, I worked for another company that had newer International trucks with Cummins engines. Years later, as an owner-operator, I came back to Cummins on my own with my very first purchase of my own truck.
Cummins: How much longer do you plan to drive, and what’s in store for you after that?
Terry: I am 55 years old, and will probably continue driving until at least my full retirement age of 67. Then, I’m going to enjoy more time riding my motorcycle and get a fifth wheel camper, so my wife and I can do some serious camping.
Cummins Inc.
Cummins, a global power technology leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company's products range from internal combustion, electric and hybrid integrated power solutions and components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, microgrid controls, batteries, electrolyzers and fuel cell products.