Mark Droubay grew up on dairy farms in Utah, where he learned to drive tractors and trucks. He bought his first semi in 1984 to haul gravel and hay, then went to work trucking for the asphalt industry. By 1992, he’d purchased his second truck and started building his own business.

Today, Double D Distribution is the largest asphalt trucking company in Utah, with nearly 40 trucks, more than 80 trailers and a workforce topping 40 people. And Mark is a proud Million Miler who received his commemorative jacket, hat and sign in August 2021. Here’s what he had to tell us about his experiences with Caterpillar and Cat on-highway truck engines.

Caterpillar: Tell us about your million-mile trucks. 

Mark: We have 10 trucks, all Kenworth. Kenworth and Caterpillar is a great combination. They’re still going strong. We’re still using them in the fleet.

Caterpillar: Why do you think Cat engines last so long?

Mark: They are built sturdy. They’re strong. They don’t cut corners — they built them on a solid platform with heavy-duty components to make the engines last.

Caterpillar: Why do you keep overhauling your Cat truck engines?

Mark: We love the performance of Cat engines — they’re high-torque, strong, reliable engines that do a great job. If we’ve got a truck that’s holding up and an engine that’s still solid when it needs an overhaul, we’re happy to send it back on the road. We know it will be reliable.

Caterpillar: You rely on your local Cat dealer, Wheeler Machinery, for parts and service. Why?

Mark: They are phenomenal at supporting truck engines — just model support of what a dealer should be.

Caterpillar: What’s it mean to you to be a Million Miler?

Mark: I think it’s awesome, and it speaks to the reliability and durability of Cat engines.

Caterpillar: Trucking’s been part of your life for a long time. What do you want people outside the industry to know about what it means to be a truck driver?

Mark: I don’t think people understand, or sadly even care about, the sacrifice truck drivers put in to be away from their families to transport goods across the county, day in and day out. Everything we have comes on a truck. To see the frustration that drivers of cars have because there’s a big truck in their way tells me they have no understanding of what that driver is going through to 1) deliver the goods and 2) make a living for a family he’s probably not going to see for a few days or more.