Truck Drivers
Drivewyze Contest Recognizes Pizza (Ingredient) Delivery Driver
October 26, 2017
The Drivewyze National Truck Driver Appreciation Week Contest Winner
While Jim Andrews didn’t deliver it, if you’ve recently enjoyed a Hungry Howie’s pizza in Michigan and the Midwest with its signature flavored crust, chances are he may have delivered the ingredients to make it.
And thanks to the nomination of company transportation manager George Speshock and the votes of his co-workers, he knows just how much he’s appreciated for delivering those ingredients from the company’s warehouse and corporate headquarters in Madison Heights, Michigan, to dozens of the chain’s store locations.
During the 2017 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Drivewyze held its second driver appreciation week contest. The company chose Jim and six other finalists from a field of nominations and asked Facebook followers and web site visitors to vote for the contest winner. Jim’s co-workers mounted a campaign to choose him as the contest winner. As a result of their efforts, Jim received the recognition and a $250 Cabela’s gift card.
“Jim is a great guy and driver for our company,” George said in his nomination. George also received a $250 gift card for nominating Jim. “Jim has always been a top-notch driver having driven more than 430,000 miles for Hungry Howie’s over the past seven years with no accidents or violations.”
While serving as a primary caregiver to his ailing mother and working full time, Jim still finds time to raise two boys and a step-daughter and serve as a volunteer coach for his boys’ soccer team.
Every week, Jim leaves the Madison Heights warehouse early in the morning with up to 20 tons of various pizza ingredients loaded on to pallets destined for a number of store locations throughout the region. For three days, Jim stops at locations delivering the ingredients until the 35-foot or 48-foot trailer is empty. He then picks up a load of boxes, flour, cheese or other ingredients and backhauls them to the warehouse, where they will be sorted into palletized loads destined for delivery to individual stores.
“I love driving trucks,” Jim said. “I find it so relaxing to be out there on the open roads. It’s especially good when I can make my deliveries to the stores before they open. Drivewyze certainly helps me stay on schedule by giving me bypasses so that I don’t get delayed at weigh stations.”
Jim said he has driven trucks since he was 18 years old and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The 36-year-old truck driver especially enjoys driving for Hungry Howie’s, which has a good reputation not only for its pizzas, but also for its support of charities such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Common Ground, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, plus local communities. Hungry Howie’s, which was founded in 1973 at a converted hamburger stand in Taylor, Michigan, has grown from a favorite local hangout into one of the nation’s 10 largest pizza franchises with almost 600 locations in 21 states. Jim said his two sons, 8-year-old Zack and 10-year-old Jacob, and his step-daughter – 6-year-old Chloe are all proud of him for winning the Drivewyze recognition.
“It’s pretty humbling to know that I have a boss and so many co-workers who thought highly enough of me to nominate and then vote for me to get this recognition,” Jim said. “I felt really great when I learned that I was named Drivewyze’s top driver.”
Jim said he’s not sure what he’s going to buy with his $250 gift card. “It’ll probably be something for the camper. I’m sure my kids will help me with that,” he added with a laugh.