Annual Driver and Coach of the Year Awards Celebrate the Safety and Service of Today’s Transportation Professionals
SAN DIEGO, March 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Lytx® Inc., a global leader in video safety and video telematics, today recognized the winners of the 2024 Driver and Coach of the Year awards and their positive influence on roadway safety. Each winner successfully implemented the Lytx Driver Safety Program, which combines industry-leading machine vision and artificial intelligence (MV+AI) technology with customizable coaching tools and reporting, to advance their fleet safety skills.
“One of the biggest highlights of our year is hearing the amazing stories and appreciating all of the incredible work that our driving and coaching professionals are performing,” said Jeff Martin, Lytx’s VP of Global Sales Strategy. “Knowing that our state-of-the-art safety tools, combined with these exceptional individual skillsets, are making a positive impact on today’s roadways is deeply gratifying. This effort is at the core of our company’s mission and vision.”
The 2024 honorees were nominated by their peers and managers who identified them for demonstrating exceptional work in the fields of Services/Utilities, Transit/Motor Coach, For-Hire Trucking, Private Truck Fleet/Distribution, and Waste/Construction. After reviewing a record number of nominations, Lytx selected the top three drivers and top three coaches from each of the five categories.
For more on Lytx’s 2024 Driver and Coach of the Year awards, including eligibility, judging process, and prizing, go here.
**Winners – 2024 Drivers of the Year**
Services / Utilities (Drivers)
First-Place Winner – Daniel A. Bagley (AmeriGas Propane)
Daniel has been driving professionally for 30 years (22 years with AmeriGas) and has never received a moving violation or been involved in an accident throughout his entire transportation career. Equally committed to his customers and to safety on the road, he makes a conscious effort each day to work and drive safely to not just protect himself, but also those around him. Dan takes great pride in his work and says his “ultimate goal at the end of each day is to know I did my job, did it great, serviced all customers who expected me, and returned home in the same healthy condition I started the day.”
Second Place – Samuel Reyes-Alarcon (Fairfax County – Stormwater Management)
Third Place – David Camadine (Professional Teleconcepts, LLC)
Transit / Motor Coach (Drivers)
First-Place Winner – Keith Cummings (Greyhound Lines)
Logging over 1.5 million miles of safe driving in his career, Keith has received multiple safety awards and recognition for his 20 years of driving for Greyhound without a violation or collision. He treats customers with courtesy, strives to make them feel safe, and is committed to helping when needed. As an example, he received special recognition for assisting in the delivery of a baby for one of his passengers. Keith is also qualified to test CDL applicants for Passenger and School Bus certification and is an elite driver instructor in the Chicago area, with him noting that “reducing accidents and driving safely is something that I strive to do every day, and I instill the same mindset into my students.”
Second Place – Briere Melias (Transdev)
Third Place – Cynthia Cuebas (Beacon Mobility – WE Transport/Towne Bus – Bedford)
For-Hire Trucking (Drivers)
First-Place Winner – Nick Jarntowski (Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.)
Nick has received numerous awards for his safe driving. In the Wisconsin Truck Driving Championships, he won Third Place in 2022, Second Place in 2019, and First Place in 2018 and 2023. He also competed at the National Truck Driving Competition in 2018 and 2023. When asked about his daily approach and mindset, Nick replied, “I strive to be the best I can every day on and off the road. Whether that means delivering our customers’ freight, helping new drivers understand and learn how to drive in a professional and courteous manner, or just having a smile on my face.”
Second Place – Frank Irvan (Maverick Transportation, LLC)
Third Place – John Anagnost (Melton Truck Lines, Inc.)
Private Truck Fleet / Distribution (Drivers)
First-Place Winner – Maximillian Tribe (United Parcel Service)
With zero accidents and zero injuries in his 10-year career at UPS, Max is currently the co-chair of his safety team. This allows him to mentor younger drivers and remind veteran drivers of the importance of safety for drivers and their communities. In his spare time, Max helps out at his local church every other Sunday distributing food and cleaning the facilities and also enjoys spending time with his family, crediting his parents for their constant love and support. Regarding his commitment to safety, he shared, “It’s an honor to be nominated for this award. I will continue to keep myself and my community safe while servicing our customers with the highest standard possible to represent UPS as the best in the business.”
Second Place – Anslum Hudlin (Ryder System, Inc.)
Third Place – Robert Johnston (Bue Triton Brands – Ready Refresh)
Waste / Construction (Drivers)
First-Place Winner – John Welper (Manatt’s, Inc.)
John has been driving professionally for nearly 22 years and has been part of a team that received multiple NRMCA Excellence in Safety Awards for having zero injuries at the workplace. He has also had zero Lytx coachable events in over a year. John applies his strong work ethic daily and sets personal goals that align with company goals to keep him energized and excited to do his job. Regarding his mindset, John said, “It’s ‘easy’ to focus on safety because I have a family to get home to, and so does everyone I may come in contact with. I can sleep good at night knowing I kept them all safe by being responsible, compliant, alert, and aware of my surroundings.”
Second Place – Steve Beachy (Waste Connections)
Third Place – Charnell Cooksey (Badger Infrastructure Solutions)
**Winners – 2024 Coaches of the Year**
Services / Utilities (Coaches)
First-Place Winner – Robbie Spinks (Fairfax County DPWES – Stormwater Management)
Robbie was Fairfax County Stormwater’s most effective DriveCam coach in 2023, and he consistently sets a positive example for those around him. He was recently promoted to Environmental Services Supervisor and now leads a group of 19 employees, including five supervisors. When asked about his approach, Robbie shared that “leading by example and having the mindset of being involved and doing the right thing when no one is watching is critical. It is something that I always try to lead by.”
Second Place – Brian Suriani (AmeriGas Propane)
Third Place – Anthony McCullough (Irby Construction)
Transit / Motor Coach (Coaches)
First-Place Winner – Darlene Smith (MV Transportation, Inc.)
As Safety Director and a MV Transportation employee for over six years, Darlene serves as a reliable and professional representative of their Safety Department. She is the current DriveCam Manager at her company, where she maintains a 96% average coaching effectiveness score. When asked about her philosophy on safety, she notes, “In my personal and professional life, I strive to keep safety and respect at the forefront of my interactions with everyone I come in contact with.”
Second Place – Brandon Tufillaro (Transdev)
Third Place – Clifford Warren (Greyhound Lines)
For-Hire Trucking (Coaches)
First-Place Winner – Chris Sharrock (Melton Truck Lines)
Chris has been the driving force behind Melton’s coaching program for over 10 years. He is an integral part of the coaching program and has trained all of the staff that is currently coaching drivers on the use of the DriveCam system. Chris has developed a positive way of coaching drivers using video in a one-on-one situation rather than lecturing to a larger group. With his proactive approach and a safety-first mindset, he feels “a responsibility to aggressively seek out and address unsafe driving behaviors before they lead to an accident.”
Second Place – Kim Pilgrim (Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.)
Third Place – Laura Perez (Keurig Dr Pepper)
Private Truck Fleet / Distribution (Coaches)
First-Place Winner – Ben Hernandez (Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC)
In October 2023, Ben was recognized as Silver Eagle’s “Coach of the Quarter” in the commercial vehicle category for the eighth consecutive quarter. He was the first coach to achieve 100% coaching effectiveness status, and when the safety department works with coaches across the company to improve their coaching performance, they often use Ben as a model. Regarding the adoption of technology into his company’s safety program, Ben notes that “it has made us be more accountable and always stay in compliance with safety and our company goals.”
Second Place – Michael Betts (Martin Transportation Systems, Inc.)
Third Place – Giovanni Zappala (Texas Pride Fuels)
Waste / Construction (Coaches)
First-Place Winner – Dennis Petri (GFL Environmental)
Throughout his 10-year career in the waste industry, Dennis has always been safety-focused and embodies a “see something, say something” attitude. His coaching skills involve reviewing events and setting up times to meet with drivers to get their input on how they can improve or change a habit. Dennis also uses Lytx as a recognition tool to show drivers and fellow teammates when an exceptional job is done within an event. When it comes to successful safety programs, he says, “I believe that safety is something that every employee has to be committed to or it won’t work for everybody. Everyone needs to be on board.”
Second Place – Jay Roberts (Badger Infrastructure Solutions)
Third Place – Rick Byrn (Manatt’s, Inc.)
About Lytx
Lytx is a global leader in video safety and video telematics. Our solutions harness the power of video to empower drivers and fleets to be safer and more efficient, productive, and profitable so they can thrive in today’s competitive environment. Through the Lytx Vision™ Platform, direct and reseller clients access our customizable services and programs spanning driver safety, risk detection, fleet tracking, ELD compliance, preventative maintenance, and fuel management. Using the world’s largest driving database of its kind, along with proprietary machine vision and artificial intelligence technology, we help protect and connect thousands of fleets and 2.1 million drivers in more than 85 countries. Lytx’s Surfsight® dash cam for resellers was built from the ground up as a premium product to help fleet managers with their operational challenges. For more information about Lytx, visit www.lytx.com, @lytx on Twitter, LinkedIn, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.
Contact:
Jason Andersen
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SOURCE Lytx, Inc.
