As a Line Driver for Lynden Transport, Kenneth Malmkar makes the trip between Dallas and Edmonton every week or so. During winter months, conditions can change quickly, which is what happened a few weeks ago after dropping off a load in Williston, ND. Kenneth and his driving partner, Reuben Champa, were traveling near Sweetgrass, MT, when a blizzard hit.
"In 30 years of driving, this was one of the worst blizzards I've ever seen," Kenneth says. "We slowed to idle speed at about 3 mph due to visibility. There were a lot of cars in the ditch, and we spotted a suburban pulled over. We slowed down, and they pulled in behind us and followed us 15 miles to the nearest town – which took an hour. I pulled into a church parking lot and got out to make sure they were o.k. and had somewhere to stay since they closed the roads on either side of us."
Lynden Transport Customer Service Representative Keith Taylor received a phone call from "Jessie" a few days later. "She was almost in tears by the end of her story," he says. Jessie and five of her girlfriends were afraid they were going to be stuck on the side of the road in the blizzard when they noticed Kenneth slowing down next to them, indicating that they should pull in behind him.
"Once we got to a town, he stopped to make sure we were alright then guided us to a local hotel to stay and get out of the weather," Jessie says. "He drove off after that and we were unable to thank him, but I wanted to make sure Lynden knew of his good deeds."
"I'm just glad they made it to safety," Kenneth says. "Drivers are always on the alert to protect our people and equipment, and that includes others on the road."
Topics from this blog: Lynden Lynden Employees Safety Lynden Transport Drivers United States Featured