NWRA names 2024 Driver and Operator of the Year winners

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) has named its 2024 Driver of the Year and Operator of the Year winners and those receiving honourable mentions. The awards recognize the drivers and operators from member companies who put safety first.

"The drivers and operators of our industry perform under some of the most demanding conditions while providing an essential service to every resident and business in the nation each day," said Don Ross, NWRA Board of Trustees chairman. "We look forward to recognizing the winners at our annual awards breakfast at Waste Expo. "

The Driver of the Year awards are for those drivers who operate their trucks safely and responsibly, have outstanding performance records, and whose contributions have enhanced the overall safety and image of the solid waste industry. The breakdown of the categories is: Local Company with a less than 500 truck fleet, Regional Company with a 500 to 2,500 truck fleet, and National Company with a more than 2,500 truck fleet.

The Operator of the Year award is for employees working in post-collection for a materials recovery facility, landfill, or transfer station who safely operate heavy equipment, including bulldozers, front-end loaders, and compactors.

"Driver safety and retention are important indicators for the industry. This year's winners and those recognized with honourable mentions not only exhibit their dedication to the industry but an unsurpassed safety record. Congratulations to all the drivers and operators being honored," said NWRA Interim President and CEO Jim Riley.

The finalists were determined by a computerized scoring system. Independent judges selected the winners based on letters of recommendation and, for drivers, the difficulty of the route based upon factors such as pickups, weekly miles, and manual versus automatic transmission. During judging, operators also were judged on the difficulty of the equipment operated. In addition to our winners who received the highest scores from our independent judges, the drivers and operators receiving honourable mentions were the next highest-scoring applicants. This year, a four-way tie occurred in the Operator of the Year category for the winner.

2024 Driver of the Year winners and honourable mention recipients

National Commercial

Winner: Matthew Linden, Republic Services, Inc.

Honourable Mentions: Juan Alfaro, Republic Services, Inc.; James (Allen) Cox, Republic Services, Inc.; Kenneth Gelderloos, Waste Connections, Inc.; Greg Rascoe, Republic Services, Inc.; Robert Schuleter, Republic Services, Inc.

National Industrial

Winner: Ramon Salaz, Waste Connections, Inc.

Honourable Mentions: Richardson Ball, Republic Services, Inc.; Sylvester Braswell, Republic Services, Inc.; David Howard, Republic Services, Inc.; Jason Jewell, GFL Environmental; Terry McQuillan, Republic Services, Inc.; Lawrence Prezioso, Republic Services, Inc.

National Residential

Winner: Terrel Herring, Republic Services, Inc.

Honourable Mentions: Steve Beachy, Waste Connections, Inc.; Darryl Brown, Waste Connections, Inc.; Jesus Casas, Republic Services, Inc.; Jon Detwiler, Republic Services, Inc.; Jacob Mayo, Republic Services, Inc.

Regional Commercial

Winner: Ron Howard, Casella Waste Systems

Honourable Mentions: Sixto Dela Cruz, Recology; Tony Grodesky, LRS; Curtis Rhodes, Casella Waste Systems

Regional Industrial

Winner: John Michaud, Casella Waste Systems

Honourable Mentions: Louis Shaner, Rumpke Consolidated Companies; Ralph Snow, Rumpke Consolidated Companies; Matt Willis, Rumpke Consolidated Companies

Regional Residential

Winner: Scott Evanchoff, Casella Waste Systems

Honourable Mentions: Shawn Dutton, Casella Waste Systems; Darrell Hanies, Casella Waste Systems; Manuel Vera, Recology

Local Member

Michael Gondek, All Waste

Public Sector

Manuel Virgil, Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling

2024 Operators of the Year honourable mentions and winners

Winners: Nivardo Gonzales, WM; Rob Hamil, Republic Services, Inc.; Sergio Padilla, WM; Stanley Watts, WM

Honourable Mentions: Randy Beasley, WM; Steve Blake, GFL Environmental; Mathew Grant, Veit Disposal Systems; Jason Mallinowski, WM; Robert Vaughn, GFL Environmental

NWRA would like to recognize the judges who generously gave their time to review each of the applications.

The 2024 judges are:

• Adrienne Gildea, Deputy Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
• Billy Martin, retired safety professional
• Elisabeth Barna, EAB Strategies, LLC
• Ellen Voie, Founder, Women In Trucking Association, Inc.  
• Jeffrey Reeves, Fortune Transportation
• Kevin Kraushaar, J. Warren Associates, LLC
• Richard Watson, P.E. BCEE, Chief Executive Officer, Delaware Solid Waste Authority
• Ryan Pietzsch, National Safety Council
• Tom Moore, CTP, National Private Truck Council
• Wayne Bailey, Safety Director, FedEx