Cover Story

DanDurnwald - Heartland Express, Inc..

Dan Durnwald’s grandfather was a professional driver, as was his father, so it is no surprise that Dan followed in their footsteps. The 19-year trucking veteran currently runs with Coral-ville, IA-based Heartland Express, Inc., and he has proved to be one of the industry’s best. Dan is Heartland’s 2003 Company Driver of the Year, and he had been previously named the carrier’s 1999 Owner Operator of the Year.

“When I was growing up, I couldn’t wait for the day that I’d be big enough to drive a truck,” says Dan. “I began hauling grain for a local farmer when I turned 18, and then I started running over the road a year later. This is a great job. I like getting out and seeing so many different places, and it is interesting for me to meet new people every day.”

Dan has been running with Heartland for 11 years. “I had always seen their trucks out on the road, and I knew that they hauled a lot of freight for Whirlpool, a big company with three plants near my home in Ohio,” he says. “I guess that was my biggest consideration…it was important for me to get home often to spend time with my wife and children.”

After hearing good things from drivers who ran with Heartland, Dan was convinced that he had found the right carrier and got on-board.

Most of Dan’s years with the carrier have been spent running as an owner-operator, but he gave up his business in 2002 to run as a company driver. High fuel prices and operating costs took their toll, and Dan was ready to simplify his life. “I found out that I could make nearly as much money as a company driver, so I was happy to leave my owner-operator headaches behind.”

Today, Dan still runs the same driver-friendly Northeast regional routes that attracted him to Heartland from the beginning. “I’m away Monday through Friday, but Heartland has always made sure that I am home on the weekends. Most companies want their drivers to stay out 14 days or more, but that just doesn’t interest me.”

In addition to the regular home time he receives, Dan appreciates the top-of-the-line equipment in Heartland’s fleet and the respect he receives from company management.

So to what does Dan attribute his tremendous success? “I do whatever Heartland asks of me,” he says. “Once, right before Thanksgiving, I was asked to deliver the load of a driver whose truck had broken down. I was a little late in getting home, but I got the job done. A driver has to be willing to do those things to make it to the top of this business.”

When he’s not out on the road earning awards with Heartland, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, Ann, and their children, Kortney and David. Dan credits Ann for much of his professional success. “She has always stood by me, even when my schedule has gotten unpredictable,” he says.

The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines want to wish Dan continued success at Heartland Express. To learn more about company driver opportunities available now at Heartland, see their ads on pages 31, 45 and 97 of this issue, visit their Web site at www.heartlandexpress.com or give them a call at (800) 441-4953.