H-E-B has announced that one of its truck drivers, Homer Flores, has accomplished a rare milestone — driving four million miles consecutively without a single accident or traffic incident.
On April 14, he officially reached the mark after a delivery run from Kingsville to Corpus Christi. Upon arrival, his official tally was four million and seven consecutive miles unscathed. He was greeted by family, friends, fellow H-E-B drivers and company leaders who all gathered to celebrate his exceptional milestone.
“This is a big honor for me and my family. I truly love working for H-E-B — it’s a great company to be a part of,” said Homer Flores, H-E-B Transportation Partner. “I’m honestly overwhelmed by everyone who came out to support me today. Thank you to H-E-B for giving me the opportunity to work here and to show what I can do. It means a lot to be recognized like this. I’m honored and grateful for this celebration.”
Flores, whose CB handle is “Laredo Kid,” joined H-E-B in April 1986, working at the Saunders St. H‑E‑B in Laredo. In 1989, he started to attend truck driving school and moved to Corpus Christi to become a spotter, a role involving moving H-E-B trailers around its distribution campuses. Three years later, he became a full-time driver for H-E-B, making it 33 years driving Texas roads. Along with his daily deliveries, he safely maneuvered his trailer to support during several crisis incidents and natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri.
For Flores, truck driving is in his blood. He comes from a long line of road warriors where his dad, uncle and several cousins are truck drivers. The profession gives him access to the open road, which is where he gets to be himself and at peace, he said.
“You have to admire and respect Homer’s tremendous accomplishment,” said Todd Wright, senior vice president of transportation. “It almost seems impossible when you think about it. Day in and day out, he is hauling up to 80,000 pounds with a 53- or 57-foot trailer alongside other motorists. To do it safely traveling four million consecutive safe miles, without a single scrape or broken mirror, is a testament to his professionalism. We’re incredibly proud of Homer and all our drivers. We truly have the best team in all the industry.”
Since he got behind the wheel for the company, Flores has hit various milestones like clockwork. In December 2000, he reached one million safe miles. Eight years later, he reached the two million mile mark. And it took another eight years to reach three million miles. In the more than three decades on the road, he’s averaged about 120,000 miles per year to reach four million, which is equivalent to more than 160 trips around the Earth. On average, motorists drive about 13,500 miles per year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. At that rate, it would take an average driver nearly 300 years to reach four million miles.
In 1985, H-E-B launched its Truck Driver Hall of Fame to honor those partners who have achieved at least one million safe miles on the road. In 2001, Flores was inducted into the H-E-B Truck Driver Hall of Fame. Currently, there are more than 460 partners in the Hall of Fame.
Flores, who now wears four-star pins on his shoulder to signify his accomplishment, joins Andres Corona and Danny Guerrero Jr. as H-E-B truck drivers who achieved four million safe miles. Corona hit the mark in 2014, while Guerrero achived the milestone in 2021.
Now with the achievement in his rearview mirror, he has some simple words of wisdom for drivers: keep your eyes open and stay out of trouble.
