Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Jefferson County Industrial Park recently became the site of a special presentation, when an XPO driver who works out of the company's Monticello service center reached a monumental milestone: three million consecutive accident-free miles.
Congratulations to Andy Severe!
It took Severe 32 dedicated years with XPO to accomplish this road-safety achievement. To put that into perspective, three million miles is equivalent to six round trips to the moon or 120 trips around Earth's equator or 2,222 trips around the coastline of Florida. During his 32-year career, Severe has been a Florida Trucking Association (FTA) Road Team captain eight times, a role that positioned him to be an ambassador for the trucking industry across Florida by promoting safe driving practices and roadway awareness.
ECB Publishing, Inc. Photo by Laura Young, January 28, 2026
XPO company executives from Ann Arbor, Mich., Atlanta, Ga. and Orlando, along with representatives from the FTA and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), came to Monticello to honor Severe with the award on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
“Today I'm being honored with the Three Million Miles Distinguished Driver award for no accidents or tickets or infractions,” said Severe before the ceremony, while standing beside the new truck he'd been given with his name painted on it.
He shared that when he had finished college, he knew then that working inside an office building was not for him.
“My office is going down the road, looking out the windshield, and I just enjoy that so much,” he said. “I enjoy my job, and XPO treats us very fairly. We have an excellent open-door policy, and I like that they follow the safety measures and procedures that are put out, so we can work safely and everybody around us can too.”
Then a formal ceremony was held inside the service center to honor him.
XPO Service Manager Trevor Branch began, saying, “We're very proud of this achievement, and glad to have Andy on board and celebrate this momentous occasion for him. It's really an impressive thing to achieve. I can't thank you enough. It shows your dedication to safety and your consistency in what you do every day.”
XPO Vice President for Health and Safety Greg Pawelski spoke next: “This is a true accomplishment. Andy is one of 68 out of more than 12,000 drivers to achieve this. He's really in an elite group.”
When Pawelski asked Severe what routines and habits led to his safety achievement, he replied, “Proper rest and proper training are involved … also listening to your co-workers and other drivers. You learn from everybody. Nobody knows it all. When you learn and listen to everybody, it all falls together.”
Pawelski then said, “On behalf of XPO and the entire safety team, I want to congratulate you on this tremendous milestone and encourage you to get that next million miles. It's only 10 years away.”
FHP Lt. James Hightower, who used to work at XPO with Severe, said, “It is a huge accomplishment. When you think about the number of CDL drivers out on the road – 3.5 million CDL inter-state drivers out on the roads, operating around Andy every day, 1.6 million intra-state drivers operating around him every day, 3.6 million non CDL drivers – so the amount of trust and the amount of people operating around these trucks is incredible … Every day you get in that truck, every day that you drive, you make thousands of decision that have led to this.”
FHP Major Eric Maguire added that Florida has 22 million residents and 100+ million visitors a year, which makes the number of vehicle miles traveled in the state astronomical.
“To drive that many years accident-free,” Maguire said, “it's an extraordinary feat, and I applaud you and I applaud XPO.”
The final speaker was Elizabeth Emmanuel, who presented a Certificate of Recognition from the Florida Trucking Association.
Severe concluded the ceremony, commenting, “They say this is an individual award, and I guess it is to a point, but every day when I come to work, we drivers always tell each other 'Be careful and be safe.' When we do that, we inspire each other to do the right thing. So my name is on it, but it's a team award. I thank you guys.”
By the end of the ceremony, Severe had been presented with not only the new truck to drive but also a crystal trophy, a jacket, an Arrive Alive license plate and two certificates – all in celebration of his significant safety milestone.
XPO is one of the largest less-than-truckload freight transportation providers in the United States, with 13,000 professional truck drivers who collectively transport more more than 17 billion pounds of freight per year. The Monticello terminal is one of 300 XPO service centers across North America.
IN THE FEATURED PHOTO: Andy Severe's XPO truck door now recognizes his 3 Million Consecutive Miles of Safe Driving award. ECB Publishing, Inc. Photo by Laura Young, January 28, 2026