The editors of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine have announced the 2019 HDT Truck Fleet Innovators, seven fleet executives who are being recognized for their leadership and forward-thinking in managing truck fleet operations and employees.

Each year, HDT's editors sift through nominations received from members of the industry as well as considering the fleet executives they have come into contact with throughout the year to single out four or more fleet executives who have consistently shown innovation in areas such as leadership, productivity, business practices, safety, maintenance, spec'ing, technology, human resources, fuel efficiency, the environment, and so on.

This year’s honorees are being saluted for management accomplishments in areas ranging from being on the cutting edge of vehicle design and digitizing preventive maintenance procedures to switching up driver pay programs and selecting specs based tightly on the job at hand:

• Bill Brentar, vice president, maintenance & engineering, UPS, Atlanta, Georgia

• Don Digby Jr., president, Navajo Express, Denver, Colorado

• Ryan Hammer, president, Quality Custom Distribution, Irvine, California

• Gregg Mangione, senior vice president of maintenance, Penske Truck Leasing, Reading, Pennsylvania

• Joshua Porter, executive vice president, B&B Trucking, Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Vince Tarantini, president, Carmen Transportation, Toronto, Ontario

• Dan Wirkkala, president & CEO, Smokey Point Distributing, Arlington, Washington

The seven 2019 Truck Fleet Innovators will be honored during the Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange, a fleet networking event slated for May 8-10 at The Scottsdale resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Following the awards ceremony at HDTX, this year’s Innovators will take part in a special panel discussion to share more about their accomplishments as well as to talk about industry issues.

For the third year, the HDT Truck Fleet Innovator Awards are being sponsored by Phillips Industries.

Each Truck Fleet Innovator will be profiled as part of the cover story of HDT's May Issue.

Editor's Note: There are still a few slots open for qualified fleet managers to attend HDTX; for more information on this hosted networking event and to apply, go to www.heavydutytruckingexchange.com.