There could be people out there looking to retire in their 50s or 60s, but there is one man who does not want to stop, even at 93.
Now, he aims to go down in the Guinness World Records as the oldest living truck driver in the world.
Orrin Asmus began trucking when he was just 19 years old, and one can safely say that he has been doing it for more than 70 years, the kind of career many workaholics could only dream of.
Asmus turns 94 in August, and it is not just trucking that is keeping him busy. He also serves on the Middletown City Council, something he has been doing for the last 20 years.
Asmus Racked Up Over 5 Million Miles in 70 Years
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Through a long and eventful career, Asmus has traveled over 5 million miles in the cab of a semi, and his first trip was to transport livestock in the 1950s. Speaking with KLTV, he said:
“The guy that shelled the corn, at that time, we didn’t have combines, said, ‘My son’s sick, you got to go to Chicago.’ And I took a load, never driven a semi before in my life, took a load of livestock to Chicago, no interstates, six and 30 all the way to Halsted Street to the stockyard.”
Asmus grew up in Audubon and has traveled extensively across the country. There are only two places he has never driven. He revealed:
“I’m pretty well knowing all the states except Alaska and Hawaii. I never trucked there, but I’ve trucked in every one.”
Recalling his tenure at Walmart, Asmus said he once got a nice bonus:
“I put a million safe miles on with Walmart. I drove an International at that time, and now I’m driving a Peterbilt. One week I get a nice award and a watch and a bonus.”
Asmus has spent the last 11 years with McLaughlin Freight in Mediapolis, where his fellow truckers are helping him earn a place in Guinness World Records as the oldest trucker. Dan McLaughlin, McLaughlin Freight president, said:
“Cody just haphazardly googled Guinness World Records and found out that he could be a very good candidate for oldest CDL living truck driver in the world.”
The freight agency has submitted the necessary paperwork, photos, and documentation to the Guinness World Records and is now awaiting further instructions.
What’s Changed the Most in the Last Few Decades?
Asmus witnessed the changing American landscape over several decades, but the biggest change for him has been the roads and traffic. He said:
“First is the speed limit. Lots of interstates now. A lot of four-lane roads are not interstates, but are four-lane roads. The traffic is terrible; I mean there’s a lot of trucks and there’s a lot of cars out there.”
Currently, a 92-year-old man from Kansas holds the record for being the oldest truck driver in the world. With Asmus turning 94 in about a month, he said holding a world record will be something his grandkids can boast about:
“It’d be good for my grandkids. They say grandpa was the oldest one.”
Today, many can only dream of reaching the age of 93, let alone still trucking, which is not an easy job. But Asmus has set an example for others that there are no limits. Do you see yourself staying active at a very old age? Let us know in the comments.