On Wednesday, May 17, the Arkansas Trucking Association announced the 2022 Driver of the Year, Ken Geer; 2022 Safety Professional of the Year, Brett Graves; and 2022 Maintenance Professional of the Year, Samuel Satterfield. The top honors were announced at the awards luncheon during the ATA Conference in Little Rock, Ark.
Each year, the Arkansas Trucking Association recognizes one driver for their strong and noteworthy professional qualifications, experience and performance; one safety professional for their qualifications, safety program and safety achievements; and a maintenance professional for their contributions to their company’s maintenance program, certifications and credentials.
Ken Geer, the 2022 Driver of the Year, has been a professional truck driver for Walmart Transportation since 2020. In his 34-year career, he has driven more than 4 million accident-free miles. Dedicated to safety in his professional and personal life, the former firefighter volunteers to run fireworks displays at Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion and local football games. He’s also a committed fundraiser for the Gravette Lion Band Boosters.
Walmart Transportation Manager Waylon Wishon nominated Geer for his dedication to being a positive ambassador for the industry, “Ken does everything he can to make his part of the world better by volunteering his time, talent and effort.” Wishon noted Geer is not just a driver at work, but he takes those skills to an event that’s important to his family when he transports equipment to Special Olympics events for their oldest daughter, who participates in the track and field competition.
This year’s Safety Professional of the Year, Brett Graves, safety director for Maverick Transportation, has been an active advocate of safety for years. He has held leadership positions with the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance, taught North American Transportation Management Institute courses, served as a professional safety source for the Arkansas Department of Labor, chaired ATA’s Safety Management Council and Truck Driving Championship Committee and volunteers as a liaison for the Arkansas Highway Police Challenge.
“Brett’s company and so many state and national organizations have benefited from his professional commitment to safety,” said ATA President Shannon Newton. “Brett is a source of safety information and wisdom. He cares for and holds a high standard for Maverick drivers, but he’s also been an eager supporter of drivers from any company who aim for excellence and professionalism at annual safety competitions.”
Samuel Satterfield, maintenance director for Lew Thompson & Son Trucking, started at the company in 2016 as a technician. He quickly advanced to shop supervisor before taking on responsibility for the fleet of 250 trucks and 500 trailers. He runs a maintenance program that ranks the company in the top 9% of industry peers in the nation.
When the company’s home office shop was destroyed in a fire in 2021, Satterfield demonstrated his leadership. Lew Thompson & Son Safety Director Russ Curbo said, “The loss of a maintenance facility had the potential to place an extraordinary hardship on the entire company. With Samuel’s oversight and knowledge, he ensured that our fleet of trucks remained in top mechanical condition, kept the morale of the technicians up and streamlined the process from day one until we were settled into our new facility.”
All member companies of the Arkansas Trucking Association are eligible to nominate drivers, safety and maintenance professionals for these awards.
