Bradley Wacks has driven 2,868,505 miles to improve the lives of Soldiers, Airmen and their families as a trucker for the Exchange. His three decades of driving are all the more remarkable as he’s done so without a single Department of Defense reportable accident or citation.
Wacks’ impeccable record has led to the National Private Truck Council’s Driver Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted April 30 during a ceremony in Cincinnati.
This distinguished honor is a capstone in a career full of accolades, including being the only associate to win the Exchange’s “Driver of the Year” award more than once.
“Mr.Wacks is basically a superstar,” said supervisor Danny Watkins, a logistics operations manager. “He’s the guy all the other drivers want to emulate.”
From Ohio to Wisconsin
Each of Wacks’ trips begins with a thorough safety check before heading off on his route, which encompasses Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. When he arrives at an installation, Wacks may make as many as 15 deliveries to various Exchange locations, such as main stores, Expresses and a wide range of restaurants.
“Mr.Wacks is basically a superstar. He’s the guy all the other drivers want to emulate.”
– Danny Watkins, logistics operations manager, Dayton, Ohio
Wacks has always loved trucks since his owner-operator neighbor first let him tag along on a haul, but he knows there’s something special about working for the Exchange.
“The people at the facilities, they’re like family to me,” Wacks said. “I’ve watched their kids grow up through pictures that they show me. They’re friends with my wife on Facebook!”
Trophy case of awards
Among other awards, Wacks has earned four coins from Exchange leadership, two first-place prizes at the Great American Truck Show, 15 Exchange awards and 30 consecutive National Safety Council Safe Driving Awards.
“Every time I make a delivery,” Wacks said, “I know that I am providing goods and services to the best customers in the world – our active military, their dependents, and retirees.
When he’s not on the road, Wacks stays active in his community by mentoring local children in the County 4H and as a member of a breast cancer survivors support group with his wife Teri, herself a breast cancer survivor.
He also supports the Military Survivor Outreach Program, which provides resources to families who have lost a loved one in the service. Wacks attends these events in a truck with a special Survivor Outreach wrap, and kids can climb into the truck, take pictures and honk the air horn.
Since 1987, the National Private Truck Council has inducted four members each year into its Hall of Fame, considered one of the most prestigious honors in the trucking industry.
Exchange History Fun Fact
4
The number of Exchange drivers in the National Private Truck Council Hall of Fame. In addition to Bradley Wacks, they are Edgar Mincey, 2004; Higinio Ortiz, 2007; and Jose Amor, 2009. Mincey, Ortiz and Amor have since retired. Only three companies have more drivers in the Hall of Fame than the Exchange.
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