Jessup, Maryland — XPO driver Steadman “Steve” Mitchell braked quickly but didn’t flinch or seem surprised as a driver in a truck cut him off during a delivery run last week.
An XPO driver (and previously, Conway) for more than 20 of his 30-plus years behind the wheel, Mitchell embodies what the LTL company wants in its workforce: a steadfast problem solver, who safely does what he necessary to meet customer needs.
“Driving has changed so much,” Mitchell said. “Making it a safe house is a big deal for me.”
Trucking Dive joined Mitchell on the local delivery about 15 miles from XPO’s Jessup Terminal for a look at the daily life of a driver in 2024 from the cab of his Freightliner Cascadia Evolution.
He shared insights and observations on the road during the two-hour morning drive, which took him to a grocery store, a prison board supply facility, a Costco and an upscale gym.
The 65-year-old’s work demonstrated the day-to-day demands on drivers and the consistency of Mitchell’s approach — whether he was waiting in a high-security area or dodging gym-goers at the front desk before their workouts.
FIRST STOP: M&K FOOD – 7:25 AM ARRIVAL
After a vehicle check, the first leg of the trip was a 3.5-mile delivery of six pallets of cold tumbler lids to grocery supplier M&K Food’s facility on Dorsey Run Road in Elkridge.
As Mitchell drove, he described driving trucks as young as 5 years old with his uncle Richie, a freelance truck driver, when he was growing up in Washington, DC.
Mitchell has another professional driver in his family these days. His wife, Cheryl, who makes him a fruit cup for breakfast every morning, is a subway operator for the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore.
Mitchell packs a lunch box with a ham and cheese sandwich, which he prefers over fast food on the street. If XPO allowed, he would bring the couple’s 16-month-old Rottweiler, Samson, with him in the truck.
Mitchell backed up the 28-foot puppy trailer into the grocer’s only open loading dock. Then he went inside to search the cold, dimly lit warehouse for a representative who could sign for the delivery. It only took a minute.
The driver scanned a QR code on the side of each pallet as he helped warehouse workers unload. The longest of the ejections, it was also one of the fastest – and a warehouse worker directed Mitchell to clear the loading dock immediately after returning to the cabin.
SECOND STOP: TEAM KEEFE – 8:15 AM ARRIVAL
Tuesday’s “surge” of customers near the service center was unfamiliar and shorter than the usual local 10am-3pm route. Mitchell’s daily, when he makes seven to a dozen deliveries to a handful of the same customer facilities.
But, as he said, the missions had to go out.
The second contained shampoo destined for the Maryland Correctional Training Center, a prison in Western Maryland.
After initially being misdirected to an adjacent business by a driver in the parking lot, Mitchell got past a guard outside, entered and waited at a security gate at the Keefe Commissary.
A Keefe worker with a forklift unloaded the trailer, placing pallets of shampoo on the warehouse floor, not far from a pallet of Little Debbie snack cakes.
The initial confusion delayed the arrival time while Mitchell called to check the address, but he figured it out within minutes and the delivery itself was completed in about 10 minutes.
Mitchell’s constant smile and “I’ll take care of it” attitude make him one of Jessup Terminal’s top drivers, said Amy Kirtz, XPO customer service representative at the facility.
“He’s reliable,” Kirtz said. “You can count on him.”
Steadman “Steve” Mitchell delivers a pallet of Michelin wiper blades to Costco in Elkridge, Md.
Colin Campbell/Truck Diving
THIRD STOP: COSTCO – 8:30 AM ARRIVAL
A Costco employee near the back entrance greeted Mitchell with a grumble that no one was calling to make an appointment to drop off.
The cold reception didn’t seem to faze the longtime driver, and he continued the tradition: a palette of wiper blades.
Not even the less appreciative tone of another worker noticed that Costco had just received five pallets of windshield wipers.
Like anyone, Mitchell admitted, he’s had days when people close in on him.
But it’s one of the best at keeping one sketchy interaction from spoiling the next, even if it’s right down the road, said Chad Hilton, the manager of the Jessup service center.
Truck driving can be a tough job, after all, even if every conversation goes well.
“He’s the one who doesn’t get rattled,” Hilton said.
FOURTH STOP: LIFE TIME – 8:50 AM ARRIVAL
It was hard to imagine a starker contrast from the prison commissioner’s warehouse than Mitchell’s final delivery destination: Life Time, an upscale gym in Columbia.
Elliptical and stationary bikes overlook the sunny lobby from a balcony above a cafe, while an Olympic-sized outdoor pool features a double waterslide and beach club area.
Figuring out where to leave a pallet of plastic bottles took a few minutes as the front desk attendant’s attention was drawn to four separate members scanning for weekday morning workouts.
Along the way, too, Mitchell has noticed an increase in people working remotely or outside of regular hours. Traffic backups are no longer limited to peak hours.
“No one works a normal 9-to-5 anymore,” he said.
Mitchell drove the truck across the pool behind the gym building, removed the last pallet from his pallet jack trailer and had another club employee sign for the delivery.
As he drove back to Jessup’s terminal, an automated voice came from his company’s handset, assigning him a door for the trailer on his return.
Mitchell said he’s enjoyed more than three decades behind the wheel and isn’t ready to hang up the keys just yet.
“I have another 2 or 3 years before I retire,” he said.
Shaun Lucas, Visuals Editor, contributed to this article.