Dale City man honored by Mayflower for excellent service

Reporter’s note: If moving your household goods from one city to another was your biggest nightmare, take solace in this article.

Quincy Fields isn’t your stereotypical mover.

He’s polite, friendly and he doesn’t break stuff. In fact, he’s so good at his job that international company Mayflower Transit honored him as van operator of the month for April for their Eastern Region Regional Fleet.

Each month, the company honors eight operators across the nation. The recognition acknowledges exceptional performance in the areas of operational proficiency, cargo claims prevention, customer service and safety.

A contractor with Mayflower-affiliate Joe Moholland Moving in Woodbridge for the last seven years, the 35-year-old Dale City resident has come close to winning the award before. He’s finished several months as runner-up and won the best driver award for Joe Moholland in 2008.

“He’s always pleasant, he’s always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” said dispatcher Mike Peters. “I don’t think I have ever seen him in a bad mood or upset.”

The goal of contractors like Fields is to get as many jobs as possible during the busy summer months to survive what typically is a barren winter period.

Each summer, Fields drives thousands of miles with no real dedicated off days, so sleep becomes a premium. He has a bunk bed in his cab just behind the two front seats and eating in his truck is commonplace, as the jar of mayonnaise and box of Krispy Kremes in his cab can attest.

And while he spends most of his time on the East Coast, Fields has had moves as far as California and Washington state. In the first four months alone, he has driven more than 50,000 miles.

“[I am] in and out, in and out,” Fields said Thursday. “No rest in the summertime. Summertime is non-stop.”

This summer has been no exception. He started on June 28 driving his semi to Columbus, Ga., to drop off a shipment. Two days later he arrived in Chickamauga, near the Tennessee border, for another job.

Wednesday, he was in Hampton for another shipment before returning to Woodbridge Thursday. On Friday he was off to Richmond before finally getting two days at home for the holiday weekend.

That’s a far cry from last winter, when he sat for nearly two months with hardly a job — the worst season in his 13 years of moving. 

Fields said most customers he deals with are receptive and are pleasantly surprised with his affable nature. Many of the them are government or military employees who are moving out of state.

But he’s also had his share of strange moves and strange people.

One such experience involved a customer who lived in a rural area and was into homemade ammunition. Fields said his truck was filled with more than 32,000 pounds of household goods, primarily made up of tools, guns, gunpowder and lead.

“He had buckets of gun powder and as much lead as you can imagine,” Fields said.

Part of what keeps Fields motivated is family-related. He is going through a divorce and wants to always be a stable influence in his daughters’ lives.

“[I have] been going through a lot for the last year and [I am] trying to stay focused and dedicated to my job, and taking care of my kids is one thing I am really big on,” Fields said. “So making that accomplishment and being recognized when other people don’t appreciate you is really a great thing.”

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.