Richard “Dick” Pingel was an owner-operator for 46 years. He drove a 2008 Volvo VNL 780 hauling refrigerated LTL freight.
Dick is married to his wife, Char. They have a son, daughter and three grandchildren.
His two favorite trucking moments are being elected to the OOIDA Board of Directors and being named as a TA & Petro Citizen Driver honoree.
What Dick likes about the industry is the people. “The people I’ve met over the years, customers, other drivers and industry professionals – I’m proud to call them friends.” he says.
Dick dislikes that some drivers don’t consider trucking as a lifetime career.
Knowledge, perseverance and hard work has made Dick successful as an owner-operator, he says.
Dick says he’s a member of OOIDA as working together is the only way to accomplish improvements in the trucking industry. OOIDA gives everyone a voice in those improvements.
“I try to show every driver I meet that it takes all of us to make a difference,” Dick says.