Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, July 12, 2023:
Ryder honored its top truck drivers of the year during an awards ceremony in Orlando, Florida, recently. From left are: Bob Fatovic, Ryder chief legal officer; Steve W. Martin, Ryder senior vice president of dedicated transportation solutions; Robert Sanchez, Ryder chairman and CEO; Lance Simmons, Ryder Driver of the Year for dedicated transportation solutions; Greg Cassell, Ryder Driver of the Year for supply chain solutions; Steve Sensing, Ryder president of supply chain solutions; and Mauryo Jones, Ryder VP of safety, health, and security.Ryder
With more than 96 years of combined experience and nearly 9.6 million miles driven between them, Lance Simmons based out of Pensacola, Florida; Greg Cassell based out of Georgetown, Kentucky; and John “Keith” Kevil based out of Grand Prairie, Texas, take their places in the “Ryder Driver Hall of Fame,” alongside an exclusive group of just 128 others over 51 years.
Simmons won for Ryder’s Dedicated Transportation Solutions, for which drivers have the responsibility of operating specialized equipment, supervising unique product handling, navigating complex routes, and meeting demanding customer-service level requirements. During his 32-year career, including 16 years at Ryder, Simmons has logged three million safe miles, with 1.5 million of those at Ryder where he drives for a public utility company. A Ryder Certified Driver Trainer, Simmons is admired by his colleagues and supervisors for his unwavering dedication to safety and professionalism, as well as his exceptional character.
Cassell won for Ryder’s Supply Chain Solutions (CCJ Top 250, No. 14). Cassell supports the automotive, aerospace and industrial vertical, which means he’s responsible for delivering products for highly optimized, just-in-time supply delivery systems that feed the assembly lines for some of the world’s largest manufacturers. Logging an impressive 3.3 million miles in his 40-year career, with 1.9 million of those miles at Ryder, Cassell has had zero safety incidents during his 23-year tenure at Ryder. That is particularly impressive given his role as a yard-management driver, which involves completing repeated short hauls in a busy yard and backing trailers into tight spaces.
Kevil won Ryder’s Fleet Management Solutions’ “Customer Driver of the Year” award. With more than 135,000 leased vehicles on the road, operated by professional drivers employed directly by Ryder’s customers, the award recognizes those doing the most to keep roads safe while behind the wheel of a Ryder truck. Kevil has driven for Ryder’s customer Domino’s for 17 of his 24 years driving professionally, logging nearly 2.5 million miles for Domino’s and 3.3 million in his career. Kevil, a Certified Driver Trainer and member of numerous committees for driver safety and regulations, is known as a leader among his colleagues for his attentiveness to equipment safety and reliability.
A. Duie Pyle has opened a new state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. By expanding its operations with the addition of the new facility, the company strengthens its industry-leading supply chain solutions to bolster operations in the heavily populated Northeast.
