Video telematics solutions provider, Lytx, recently announced the winners of its 2022 Driver of the Year and Coach of the Year awards. Over 250 drivers and coaches were nominated by their organizations and a total of 18 drivers received first, second, and third place awards across six industry categories: government, service and utilities, transit/motor coach, private trucking, for-hire trucking, and waste/construction.

Exceptional coaches across the same industry categories were also honored.

Lytx’s annual initiative spotlights exceptional professional drivers and coaches who make our roads safer using the Lytx Driver Safety Program. The program combines machine vision and artificial intelligence technology, coaching, customizable reporting, and a professional review of more than 60 types of risky driving behaviors.

Each driver and coach recognized by Lytx share a commitment to safety, demonstrated by their outstanding driving behavior and a passion for sharing their safety knowledge with other drivers. Here are just a few highlights about some of the first-place winners in their respective categories.

Services and Utilities

First Place Winner: Collin Casson, ARS/Rescue Rooter (Orange, California)

Not only did Collin Casson receive company recognition as a safe driver for three consecutive years, but he also had no Lytx DriveCam events in 2019, 2020, or 2021. Casson consistently maintains high safety standards and averaged 98% on nine documented vehicle inspections in 2021. Casson, who has 20 years of driving experience (five years with ARS/Rescue Rooter), says customer service and safety have always been his top priority. He credits the weekly safety training and daily truck inspections with keeping every job site safe for his co-workers, customers, and himself.

Private Trucking

First Place Winner: Cory Rosenbaum, American Tire Distributors (ATD) (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Rosenbaum takes a friendly and cheerful approach to his work, even though he somehow gets assigned to the delivery routes with the worst weather and road conditions. If it’s a whiteout in the winter, he finds a safe way to chain up and just keep going. For 28 years, Rosenbaum has driven more than 2 million miles for ATD, and received the Ryder February 2021 California Business Unit Driver of the Month Award.

For-Hire Trucking

First Place Winner: Robert Deroy, Ryder System, Inc. (West Palm Beach, Florida)

As a heavy equipment and specialized load expert, Robert Deroy is often called upon to haul oversized loads on lowboy flatbeds. He has performed safe, conscientious driving for 22 years, 12 at Ryder. Deroy has received numerous driver-of-the-month and driver-of-the-year awards from Ryder, including a 500,000-mileage award for being collision-free. He is a Lytx and Geotab equipment installer, a Certified Smith System Trainer / Certified Driver Trainer, and he mentors new hires and other drivers. Deroy is well known for his community efforts, notably as a Red Cross Certified Trainer for CPR, first aid, and automated external defibrillator (A.E.D.) use. He recently saved a colleague who suffered a stroke and heart attack in his tractor-trailer; after seeing the victim’s truck parked in the middle of the road, Deroy got his colleague to the nearest emergency room.

Transit/Motor Coach

First Place Winner: Jack Cartwright, MV Transportation (Roseville, California)

Since MV Transportation hired Jack Cartwright in June 2004, he has received numerous safety awards, most recently the company’s Kathryn McClary (KMA) Driver of the 4th Quarter in 2021 and the KMA Driver of the Year for 2021. Cartwright’s safe and accident-free status has received recognition the past three years despite driving more than 22,000 miles a year. Cartwright also has been recognized for having zero Lytx DriveCam events for four years. Co-workers describe Cartwright as a professional who never complains and is always willing to help other drivers when needed. 

Waste/Construction

First Place Winner: Don Clerget, Waste Connections (Tacoma, Washington)

Clerget has an impressive record of safety and longevity as a driver for Waste Connections. He has 45 years of driving experience, 25 of them with Waste Connections. Clerget was awarded the 2021 Waste Connections Western Region Driver of the Year and was a three-year Murrey’s Circle of Excellence honoree. He mentors new drivers and regularly assists with morning safety meetings. Clerget said everything revolves around pride: pride for where he started 45 years ago, pride in picking up litter around the yard, and pride in representing his company on and off the clock.

2022 Coach of the Year

Kaylin Murphy, MV Transportation (Orlando, Florida)

Kaylin Murphy has impressed her coworkers with her outstanding coaching performance, rapid career growth, and willingness to help others. In just a year and a half, she has worked as a safety supervisor, behind-the-wheel trainer, operations supervisor, and is now the DriveCam manager. Since taking over the DriveCam role, MV Transportation Orlando location’s accident rate decreased 48%. Murphy has a firm grasp on coaching effectiveness, and she knows the Lytx Driver Safety Program inside and out, using it to achieve the goals set for the division. Murphy’s coaching effectiveness averages 96%, which means for every 300 drivers coached, only 4% repeat the behavior. She said her coaching philosophy is “safety never sleeps,” and her goal is to focus on risky behaviors before they become patterns. She has also created a DriveCam incentive and DriveCam risky driver list that offers incentives for safe driving.