PHILLIPSBURG, Kansas (KSNW) – Doyle Archer, a 90-year-old man from Kansas, was recently recognized as the world’s oldest active truck driver by the Guinness Book of Records.
(KSNW)
(KSNW)
Archer began driving part-time in 1964 and then went full-time in the 1970s. He eventually returned to his roots and worked for a trucking company owned by Rick Coomes, the son of an old friend.
“Rick’s father, Limon Coomes, had started it; He and I were good friends in the old days,” Archer said. “Being an old friend of the Coomes family, I went back to Rick. It’s a very family-oriented company where you know everyone and it’s a great place to work, so I enjoy it. That’s the reason I stayed here so long. If it had been anywhere else, I probably would have given up long before this. “I like the family atmosphere here.”
he has been with Coomes Inc. for over 20 years and has loved staying there.
“I like the freedom of being in the open field instead of working in an office or factory,” Archer said. “There are some jobs I could have had that would have been pretty good office jobs and stuff, but I like the atmosphere here. You can see the country.
“I do every week what many people spend money to take on vacation every year,” he continued. “Last week, for example, I left here and went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, ended up in Arizona, Salt Lake, Denver and back, so I got to see a good part of the country, and that’s why. . That and great people to work here. If it hadn’t been for that, I probably would have been looking to get out of this a long time ago.”
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Owner Rick Coomes said he wishes Archer had come to work at his company 20 years earlier.
“He’s a good, solid teammate,” Coomes said. “You never have to worry about him doing his job. He just goes out and does it.”
Archer said he has not considered retirement.
“As long as my health is good, I can pass the DOT physical in excellent shape, as long as my health stays good, I think I’ll stay a while longer,” he said.
When Archer found out he had been recognized as the world’s oldest truck driver, he said he couldn’t help but think about how he got to this point.
“It brings up a lot of thoughts that I hadn’t realized accumulated over the years. Now I start to look back and remember: why did I do this and that? – but I still like what I’ve done.
“It’s a recognition that I never planned to get, that I thought, you know, it’s a great feeling to be there. I hadn’t planned it or anything. I’ve seen a lot of changes in this country and it’s an honor to be able to see them from the trucks when we started to what they are today.”
(KSNW)
(KSNW)
After traveling millions of miles across the country, Archer says Kansas is one of the best places in the US.
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“So much difference in people’s attitudes and expectations of them. It’s a totally different game,” Archer said. “It’s great to be in this area, to be a part of it and call it home. Although I go to big cities, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, any place like that, and you see that instead of coming back here, I will be here permanently.”
Age isn’t the only impressive number on Doyle’s resume. Doyle has been married to his high school sweetheart for 70 years and they have nine children, 25 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
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