Hilldrup Van Operator Dennis Putnam, Jr., was named the 2012 Van Operator of the Year for United Van Lines’ continental fleet. During a 12-month period, Dennis drove 68,000 miles, the equivalent of driving around the Earth nearly three times, all while maintaining a perfect safety record. And as a result of his tremendous work, his perfect safety record, and a remarkable claims rating of 0.36%, United CEO Rich McClure presented him the award at their national conference in San Francisco, Calif.

It’s difficult to relay how big of a deal this is. Under the United Van Lines umbrella, there are more than 400 agents, and this is the first time a Hilldrup employee has received this prestigious distinction. We like to think we hire the best in the industry, but as this award demonstrates, in this case we really did hire the best.

In conjunction with the award, United produced a phenomenal video of Dennis. Those 68,000 miles he drove, those were logged with his son, Dennis Putnam III, in the passenger seat.  Dennis sums up in his own words so much of what we at Hilldrup believe, “Moving can be a traumatic thing for people, and we try to relieve as much of that as we can.”

Please take a few moments and check out Dennis’ video. You never know, maybe one day Dennis will be the one delivering your belongings to your new home.

John Seal Author