SPOTLIGHT TRUCKING: Mr David Bollinger

This quarter's truck driver spotlight is a unique driver whose character is hard to match. A driver whose interesting life cannot be highlighted completely in one article. We will try to give you the most interesting parts of the life and career of Mr. David Bollinger.

David has worked for Presnell Logging, Inc. since 2012. Presnell Logging, Inc., located in Marion, NC, was FMIC’s 2020 Logger of the Year. They have been insured with FMIC since 2008 and continue to keep a 0% Loss Ratio.

Before driving for Presnell, David drove for Pack Brothers Logging in Mill Springs, NC for seven years and hauled sod for Bell View Farms for twelve years. All combined, in the 82 years David has been alive, he has driven a truck for 55 years. You read that correctly, 82 years old and still driving.

David’s desire to be a truck driver started when he was 8 years old. He wanted to be a truck driver so he could see the world. He has driven a truck in all the lower 48 states of our nation. Before he began driving, David joined the Army in 1958, at 17 years old. David served in the 714th Medium Tank Battalion. While stationed in Germany, David operated the same tank equipment that General Patton used. After 18 months, he was Honorably Discharged. 1965 David rejoined the Army and served with the 101st Airborne Division. There he served another 4 ½ years before being Honorably Discharged again at the rank of Staff Sargent.

David started driving a truck after his first term in the Army. He started out in a 1959 H Model Mack hauling furniture. After his second term, he worked as a land surveyor for a few years but soon returned to driving a truck. His next truck was a 1964 Emeryville and then a 1952 Autocar. Over the years he has driven many F Model Macks, but his favorite so far is the 1987 W-9l Kenworth that he drives for Presnell Logging.

When asked what his day normally consists of, David said he gets up at 4:30 a.m. every morning. He spends every morning reading two or three chapters from the Bible. He and his wife, Mrs. Beatrice, spend time eating breakfast and talking. He leaves the house at 5:15 a.m. every morning. He said it takes him 25 minutes to get to the woodyard, Parton Lumber at Bridgewater. During the drive, he prays for the safety of the crew and himself for the day. Once he meets the boss, Steve Presnell, they head to the job. Usually, they have a load of logs ready to head to the mill. On a good day, David will haul 3 loads a day. The day usually ends around 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

David credits the Lord for his successful driving career. His favorite part about driving a truck is the alone time he uses to talk with the Lord. When asked how he would define success, he remembered what his father told him. “If in your life you could count five true friends, you have had a good life. You have a treasure.” David believes that the best advice for new drivers starting their driving career is to have the right attitude. “Just before you are ready to quit, you are fixing to learn something”.

David has been blessed with three children, two daughters, Maria Clark of Richmond, VA, and Melanie Taylor of Glenn Alpine, NC, and a son, Jamie Bollinger of Morganton, NC. He has five grandchildren, four great-grandsons, and two great-granddaughters.

When David is not driving a truck, his passion is music. David plays many different stringed instruments, but his favorite is the fiddle. He primarily plays at church, but occasionally at different jam sessions around the community. He loves to walk in the woods during the Fall when he has the chance. In his words, an artist cannot paint a picture as beautiful as God can in the changing of the leaves.

According to Steve Presnell, he is the best driver he has ever had. “You can’t find drivers like David anymore. He is steady and dependable.”

We at Forestry Mutual are delighted to recognize such a wonderful person as Mr. David Bollinger. We wish him many more years of excellent driving and wish we had many more drivers like him.