A fly on the wall; Jordan wins Landstar truck giveaway with a little help

Landstar driver Robert Jordan has likely retired his fly swatter.

After all, it was an innocuous housefly, which helped him make a life-changing decision.

It started with a random drawing of approximately 1,200 drivers. Well, it started long before that. To be eligible for the initial drawing, drivers had to have at least 1 million miles of collision-free driving or be a Landstar Roadstar honoree.

To his surprise, Jordan was one of the four finalists selected in Landstar’s 2020 All-Star Truck Giveaway, which was held virtually this year.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” Jordan said of being chosen as a finalist.

Good fortune seemed to be on his side from the start.

Jordan even won the practice drawing a day before the actual contest. However, he felt like his chances of winning the truck may have diminished following his practice round win.

Nevertheless, Jordan anxiously locked in on his computer screen as the giveaway began, looking for any indication to help him make his decision.

“After winning the practice round, I didn’t think there was any way I would win the truck,” Jordan said. “I was looking for some kind of a sign to help me decide what box to pick.”

Enter the often annoying housefly.

The fly buzzed around Jordan’s living room, creating a distraction at a less-than-ideal moment. When it came time to decide, Jordan, who was the first to make his selection thanks to seniority, chose to use this pest to his advantage.

“The fly just happened to come along and land on the box about the time they asked me to make my choice,” Jordan said.

With the help of his newest housemate; Jordan watched as it was revealed the box labeled “D” he selected contained the keys to a new Landstar Freightliner Cascadia 126.

Even still, he wasn’t sure this was actually happening.

“I thought maybe I’d wake up later and realize it was just a dream,” Jordan said. “Well, it would have been more of a nightmare. But, it wasn’t a dream, it was the real thing. It’s just unbelievable that they do something like this for the drivers. It’s just unreal, I was very excited.”

The truck, which is now fittingly adorned with a housefly decal, will be a great benefit for Jordan.

“Hats off to Pilot Flying J for sponsoring the truck I won,” Jordan said. “It opened up my business to where I could haul stuff I couldn’t haul before. I have to be able to travel where it’s needed, and with this truck I can do that. It’s a beautiful piece of equipment. I’m really enjoying the truck. It’s been a real blessing.”

The Landstar All-Star giveaway truck is exclusively reserved for a Landstar Million Mile Safe Driver or Landstar Roadstar honoree. Jordan, who has earned both designations, lives in Soso, Miss., and has been an OOIDA member since 2007.

The 2020 event, sponsored by Pilot Flying J, marked the 41st truck giveaway in Landstar’s 32-year history as a company. LL