Miller goes 2.7 million miles without a ticket

Dennis Miller, a driver for Hattenhauer Distributing Co., hit his 25-year mark on Wednesday. He’s also tucked away 2.7 million miles trucking during that time, ensuring that we can too.

He just keeps truckin’ on

By Tom Peterson

The Grateful Dead emblem on the grill of the Hattenhaur’s Kenworth semitruck gives you a little insight into Dennis Miller.

He’s a Deadhead with a caring eye toward other drivers. He’s also a bit of a perfectionist, like a Jerry Garcia solo.

On Wednesday, Miller hit his 25-year anniversary with Hattenhauer Distribution Co. in The Dalles.

He’s 50.

That’s half of his life behind the wheel - 10,000 gallons of gasoline behind his back most of the time. 

2.7 million miles. No tickets. No accidents.

Before he started at 4 p.m. on Wednesday,  Alex Hattenhauer, Tanna Elliott and Rob Rush met Miller with a Big Green Egg barbeque; they were celebrating his landmark. 

Rob Rush, Alex Hattenhauer, Dennis Miller and Tanna Elliott pose next to the tractor-trailer that Miller spec’d out for hauling fuel to local gas stations. The group congratulated Miller on 25 years and 2.7 million miles without an accident or a ticket on Wednesday.

“You’ll have to have the whole crew over,” Alex said, ribbing Miller for some smoked meats. Nothing like a gift that keeps on giving.

“It has gone really fast,” Miller said of his time on the job. “Thanks for putting up with the mistakes over the years.”

“They’ve been few and far between,” Alex said.

Earlier in the day, Alex said he had a lot of compassion for what Miller does.

“What he does in the industry is pretty remarkable. He is safe and responsible and takes good care of the equipment. He has respect for people on the road, and he’s a good team player. I hope he keeps driving for us for another 10 or 15 years.

Miller helped Hattenhauer Distributing hit this half million mile safety Award.

“Drivers like Dennis are hard to find,” he said. “His services fly under the radar. He works nights and gets all this stuff done under the cover of darkness. When people fuel up their car, they don’t even know he’s been there. Fuel just magically comes out of the nozzle. It makes everybody’s life easier. There is a lot of logistics and hard work that goes into getting that fuel to the consumers. That’s what Dennis does.”

We may not all realize it, but a fuel tanker at capacity is around 100,000 pounds, and the load is not stable in its chemistry or in its container. Gasoline is volatile - meaning it evaporates easily creating vapor that is heavy and floats to the ground, and highly flammable. That’s why handlers are deadly serious about removing possible sparks or other forms of ignition. 

It’s hazardous work. And it takes a steady hand to keep the liquid stable in its tank while slowing down, speeding up, or taking corners.

To that end, Miller has been remarkable. 

It’s a feat that comes with some respect.

Hattenhauers gave Miller the responsibility of ordering the latest Kenworth after he put 1.2 million on his last truck.

Jerry Garcia is still blowing Miller’s mind and the Steal your Face emblem is front and center on the Kenworth he drives.

“This is my dream truck,” he said on Wednesday. It’s tailor-made. All the controls are on the steering wheel, and it’s enabled with Bluetooth. That’s so Miller can keep his eyes on the road without distraction.

It has a tuck-and-roll interior, and 11,250 gallons of gasoline hauling capacity- 9,800 in diesel. That’s because diesel weighs more.

Miller is on the road 12 to 13 hours most days, 100,000 plus miles a year.

Last night he was running into Northwest Portland to pick up a load of fuel to deliver to a Pacific Pride station in Clackamas. Then two more round trips from Portland to The Dalles to fill stations here in town.

And what about those seven Grateful Dead stickers on the rig?

“That band got me through a lot of miles,” Miller said. His Dead recordings are, of course, live shows, and he falls heavily to Scarlet Begonias and They Love Each Other.

Things were a bit different 25 years ago

“When I started here I was just a kid; they were all farm boys and log truckers,” Miller said of the drivers in 1996.

“I showed up in my VW Bug, and they all just looked at me, like, ‘who is this guy’,” he said. “I was living out of my VW bus at the time.”

Jim Hunt was Hattenhauer’s driver and fleet manager then.

“He was hard-nosed,” Miller said, noting he would travel with and train drivers. “He was all business. I always wanted to please him. One time I had to pick him up, and we were driving along, and I made a little buzz noise when I shifted, not a grind, a buzz.” 

Hunt woke up at the sound and eyed Miller.

Miller caught the attention of other drivers in 1996.

“He’s my ghost rider,” Miller said. “I always imagine him riding in the seat next to me. It makes me smooth and as good as I can be.”

Miller is driving in all seasons and situations in the Gorge. He recently had a beer bottle thrown at his rig on the upper deck of the Freemont Bridge in Portland when street racers took it over and stopped traffic.

Distracted drivers, ice, rain are all lurking to foul the no-accident record or worse. In December, Hattenhauer’s Roger Rose had to muddle his semi through the landslide near Ainsworth Park on I-84.  

“I have seen some horrible stuff,” Miller said. “In Memory of Ritchie” is written on the door of Miller’s semi. 

It refers to Ritchie Malcolm a driver who died on SR 14 when his fuel tanker hit a rock and rolled over. He was only 44. 

Miller shook his head.

He has seen some incredible acts of humanity as well.

In February of 2019, he and other drivers were stuck in an 18-hour shutdown on I-84 near Cascade Locks. 

Miller started helping other people chain up and offered drivers gas to fill their tanks, according to a KGW news story.

“It was important to me that everybody stayed warm and here I've got big fuel tanks that run my motor," Miller said in the story. "So I wasn't in danger of running out, so yeah, just keep everybody warm and happy and make the best out of it.”

Miller also captured photos of a couple from Cascade Locks handing out water and food to trapped drivers. The story went viral when he posted it to Facebook. 

Miller said he loved the job.  

“I’m so thankful the Hattenhauer’s took a chance on me,” Miller said. “So many things can go wrong. But they have stuck by me. That is why I am so dedicated to this family and this community.”

And The Hattenhauers may get their wish.

“Retire?” he said. 

“I’ve got three kids in college.” 

Side Notes:

Miller has two sons and a daughter, Chad, Zachary, and Alex. And his dedication to the Dead only seems to be growing. His home is covered, I mean covered, in concert posters. It’s good his partner Marty Hiser has a frame shop.  

Below is a little bonus track - a song that keeps Miller rolling.