{"id":167207,"date":"2025-08-22T19:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T19:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/167207\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T19:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T19:07:10","slug":"after-55-years-behind-the-wheel-a-san-antonio-man-is-getting-ready-to-retire-from-coca-cola-southwest-beverages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/167207\/","title":{"rendered":"After 55 years behind the wheel, a San Antonio man is getting ready to retire from Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 After more than five decades as a truck driver for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Hector Gonzalez is preparing to say goodbye to his \u201chome\u201d away from home.<\/p>\n

On July 23, Gonzalez officially marked 55 years of service with Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages \u2014 a milestone that also makes him the company\u2019s longest-tenured employee. He officially retires on Sept. 26.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez said he remembers his first day on the job \u201clike yesterday,\u201d which was in July 1970.<\/p>\n

\u201cI filled out the application, and they asked if I was ready to start. I said, \u2018Sure, I\u2019m ready.\u2019 And I started that same day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Over 55 years, Gonzalez has driven more than 1.4 million miles, averaging about 100 miles a day. Along the way, he has built strong relationships with coworkers and customers \u2014 something he said kept him going all these years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love working for Coca-Cola. I love being a big truck driver. I love going out into the field, meeting new people, building rapport with customers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez is more than just a loyal employee \u2014 he\u2019s a family man. Just six months after starting at Coca-Cola, he married his wife, Nancy. Together, they\u2019ve built a family that includes three children, nine grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started working for Coke Southwest in July of 1970. And in January of \u201971, I married my sweetheart,\u201d he said proudly. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve been together ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonzalez is now the lead driver for special events and remains a source of inspiration for younger employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the managers once told me he saw my original application,\u201d Gonzalez laughed. \u201cThere was a question: \u2018How long do you plan to work here?\u2019 I wrote, \u2018for a long time.\u2019 And I\u2019m still here.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s next for the man who\u2019s spent over half a century on the road? Gonzalez tells us he plans to spend more time with his family, maybe pick up the grandkids from school, and take it day by day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my job,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd when you love what you\u2019re doing, it comes easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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