PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local garbage truck driver won a national top honor for his 32 years of safe driving in the area.

Bill White has won the National Residential Driver of the Year Award by the National Waste and Recycling Association. Last year, he won the Waste Connections Driver of Year Award for the Western Region.

Arrow Sanitary Service says the national honor is the first ever for a Portland-area driver. They also say Bill is the most deserving.

“He gets compliments almost weekly from his customers. He knows them by name,” his supervisor Kristopher Wright says. “He’s just an amazing person in general.”

As for Bill, he says he is extremely satisfied with his career. A lot has changed since he started, especially with technology and equipment.

“The advent of plastic roller carts and equipment that will pick it up has made it so older guys like me can stay in the business a lot longer because it’s just not as hard on your body,” Bill says.

Uniforms have changed too. “It would not be unusual for men just to be running with bare chests at 5 o’clock in the morning in the back of people’s yards.”

These days, with more awareness about safety, Bill says he wears a reflective shirt and closed toe boots.

Bill is the longest standing employee at Arrow Sanitary Service and has never had an incident on the road.

“In this day and age and in this environment, it requires smart people. It requires people that are in good shape. It’s a family wage job now, we are paid accordingly. Our skill level is higher,” Bill says.