Thinking in “Fifth Person” is Robert Pritchett’s Secret to Success

Robert Pritchett is living the dream. Since he was 16 years old, he has been doing exactly what he has always wanted to do. And for over 30 years, he did it for Air Products as a truck driver working out of our Midlothian, Texas terminal.

It may sound fairly routine, but an incident from long ago keeps it all fresh for Robert. Each time he climbs into a truck cab and gets behind the wheel, he is reminded of a sign he once saw: 

You are now entering the most dangerous place in the world …the public highway.

“Out there on the highway, you’ve got to watch the person in front of you, to the right of you, to the left of you, and behind you,” says Robert. “But you’ve also got to stay on your toes and keep alert for that fifth person. And you’ve got to keep looking all the time. That fifth person is out there somewhere.” 

Robert is one of more than 250 Air Products drivers to achieve two million driving miles without a preventable accident. He credits his ability to maintain a sense of professionalism as the key to his success.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize what they did,” says Robert, referring to the aggressive driving traits that so many of today’s motorists exhibit. He also gives other drivers the benefit of the doubt. He says what appears to be an aggressive act might have resulted from the driver’s unfamiliarity with the route he or she is taking.

“You can’t let it get next to you,” says Robert.