Dwight Yoakam sings about being “a thousand miles from nowhere.” Chicagoland delivery driver Brian Murphy has driven 1,000 times that amount in his 2007 Nissan Frontier, or the equivalent of two roundtrips to the moon.
Murphy began his job as a delivery driver 45 years ago. After retiring from a corporate job 16 years ago, he started working as a part-time independent delivery driver.
Murphy’s work as a delivery driver keeps he and the truck busy.Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
Before the sun rises on work days, 62-year old Murphy is up and off to work in the Frontier, returning about 13 hours later. It’s a two-wheel drive, four-cylinder model with a five-speed manual transmission and a King Cab. The Nissan’s exterior features the original Red Brawn paint job and it still has the original engine and transmission.
“I had no doubt this truck would hit a million miles. It’s tough and gets great fuel economy, exactly what I need to get the job done,” said Murphy. “I change my own oil every 10,000 miles and drive carefully. Nothing major has been replaced on this truck, it’s really something.
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Along way, Murphy has had to replace some of the original equipment and has had all his service done at M’Lady Nissan in Crystal Lake, Illinois. According to Murphy, the original clutch lasted 801,000 miles, the timing chain was replaced as preventative at 700,000 miles, and the radiator and alternator lasted about 450,000 miles each. Even the driver’s seat lasted a half-million miles before being replaced.
The U.S. Department of Transportation says that men Murphy’s age drive an average of 15,898 miles per year. Murphy far exceeds that wracking up 77,000 miles per year on average.
Murphy has performed regular maintenance on his truck since he bought it.Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
Echoing a sentiment said by many retirees around the U.S., “My truck deserves to rest, but I’ve got to keep busy,” said Murphy.
The truck’s odometer reached its limit at 999,999 miles, but Murphy kept the trip odometer going to tally the additional miles.
Some may see the truck’s lack of technology to be a hinderance when it comes to finding your way around a city. Murphy doesn’t see it that way. He’s never used GPS to guide him and his record is free of any moving infractions.
For other routine maintenance, the truck has been serviced at M’Lady Nissan in Crystal Lake, the same dealership where the 62-year-old Murphy bought the vehicle new in June 2007.
This million miler was built at Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.
