2008 Drivers of the Year

Ryder is pleased to recognize its exceptional 2008 Driver of the Year winners. Each year, the Driver of the Year program recognizes three drivers who exemplify Ryder’s commitment to working and driving safely, and delivering outstanding customer service. This is the 36th year that Ryder has recognized the tradition of driver excellence, a key point of differentiation for the Company over its 75 year history.

  2008 DCC Driver of the Year - William Stickel (Lennox Industries - Grove City, OH)
  2008 SCS Driver of the Year - Don Thornton (AT&T - Jacksonville, FL)

The Dedicated Contract Carriage 2008 Driver of the Year winner is William Stickel. William drives for the Lennox Industries account based in Grove City, Ohio. He has driven over 1.4 million preventable collision and violation-free miles during the course of his 18 years with Ryder, and has been a professional driver for 40 years. Known to his coworkers and customers as “Captain Bill” based on past experience as an airplane pilot and commercial ship captain, William acts as a trainer for other drivers on the Lennox account and has been featured on two editions of Ryder Road Map. William was nominated by Brien Bell, Group Director, and Goran Radivojevic, Logistics Manager. The Lennox account is managed under the leadership of John Sonia, Vice President, Dedicated Contract Carriage.

The Supply Chain Solutions 2008 Driver of the Year winner is Oliver “Don” Thornton. Oliver drives for the AT&T account based in Jacksonville, Florida. He has been with Ryder for almost 17 years and has logged 1.5 million collision- and violation-free miles over the course of his career with the Company. He has been a professional driver for 28 years. Oliver has been recognized as a Ryder Driver of the Month three times over the past 10 years and is known for his consistent courteous and cheerful attitude on the job. Oliver was nominated by Perry Townsend, Director of Customer Logistics, and Mike Kinsella, Logistics Manager. The AT&T account in 2008 was managed under the leadership of Tom Jones, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Solutions.

The Fleet Management Solutions 2008 Driver of the Year winner is George Pennington. George drives for Ryder customer, Club Car, Inc., based in Augusta, Georgia. George has driven an incredible 7 million miles collision- and violation-free during his 44 years with Club Car, Inc., a company that has been a Ryder customer since 1974. In addition to his excellent driving record, for which he’s received many accolades, George is also an American hero. He bravely survived two years as a prisoner of war and was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he received during his service in the Republic of Korea. George was nominated by Steve Zeady, Director of Operations for the Carolinas Business Unit, and Jerry Cobb, Safety & Loss Prevention Manager. The Business Unit is managed under the leadership of Rick Galvin, Senior Vice President of Operations for the Southeast Region.

This year’s winners were formally honored at an awards ceremony at Ryder’s headquarters.