George "Cannonball" Pennington has driven the equivalent of 14 rounds trips to the moon.

During his near half-century as a truck driver with Club Car, Mr. Pennington has logged about 7 million miles. He has delivered golf carts to nearly every state and some Canadian cities.

"I've had a great time," Mr. Pennington said of his career. "I've made a lot of good friends."

The Wrens, Ga., resident is so well-liked that he often shuns motels and spends the night at the homes of friends.

The trucking industry likes Mr. Pennington, too. He will be honored tonight in Miami as the Ryder Driver of the Year. Though he plans to attend the ceremony, Mr. Pennington seemed shy about accepting the recognition.

"I don't do this because I'm trying to get an award," he said. "I just want to do a good job."

At 79, it's a job he wants to keep doing.

"Why give it up?" he asked. "I like doing this."

Mr. Pennington started driving trucks 49 years ago and began his career with Club Car when the company relocated to Augusta.

During his time with Club Car, Mr. Pennington has never been in a wreck and only recently received his first traffic citation.

While hurrying down a California hill two years ago, Mr. Pennington saw red-and-blue lights in his rearview mirror.

"It turns out that he (the police officer) has family in Aiken," Mr. Pennington recalled. "We talked for about an hour. He told me that if he hadn't already written the ticket he'd have let me go. Oh, well."

Club Car didn't hold the infraction against him.

"George Pennington embodies the qualities of safety, customer service and dedication in everything he does," said Club Car Transportation Manager Robert Johnson. "He enjoys what he does, and it shows in the way he treats his company and his customers as though they were his own family."

Mr. Pennington grew up working on his family's farm in Wrens. He earned his "Cannonball" nickname not for barrelling down the open road, but for barrelling over linebackers during his days as a fullback at Wrens High School.

"Even then I liked to be on the move," he joked.

Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.