Image courtesy of NWRA
The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Arlington, Virginia, has announced its 2022 Drivers of the Year and Operator of the Year winners. The awards recognize the drivers and an operator from member companies who have made safety their top priority.
“Driver safety and retention are key indicators of the health of the industry,” says Darrell Smith, president and CEO of the NWRA. “This year’s winners not only exhibit dedication to the industry but an unsurpassed safety record. Congratulations to all of the winners.”
The Driver of the Year awards are for 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. This year, a tie occurred in the National Residential and Regional Industrial categories.
The 2022 Driver of the Year Awardees:
National Commercial, Frank Epps, Republic Services Inc., Arizona;
National Industrial, Jason Tavares, Republic.;
National Residential, Kevin Johnston and Richard Denshuick, both of Republic;
Regional Commercial, Ricardo Arrendondo, Recology, San Francisco;
Regional Industrial, Howard Kattine and Willard Wells, both of Rumpke Waste & Recycling, Cincinnati;
Regional Residential, Harvinder Dhatt, Recology;
Local Member, Mike Charpentier, Veit Vonco, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and,
Public Sector, Chuck Orencole, Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling, Midvale, Utah.
The Operator of the Year award is for an employee working in postcollection at a material recovery facility, landfill or transfer station who safely operates heavy equipment, including bulldozers, front-end loaders and compactors. The 2022 Operator of the Year Awardee is John A. Pogue, WM, Houston.
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. During judging, operators were also judged on the difficulty of their equipment to operate.
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