The editors of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine have announced the 2017 HDT Truck Fleet Innovators, four fleet executives being recognized for their leadership and forward-thinking in areas such as driver recruiting and retention, fuel economy, maintenance and more.

Each year, HDT's editors sift through nominations from the industry as well as consider the fleets they have come into contact with throughout the year to single out three to six 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:

• Kirk Altrichter, vice president of fleet services, Kenan Advantage Group, North Canton, Ohio

• Ralph LoPriore, director of fleet assets and processes, Stoneway Concrete/Gary Merlino Construction, Seattle, Washington

• Randy Obermeyer, terminal manager, Batesville Logistics, Batesville, Indiana

• Randy Swart, chief operating officer, A. Duie Pyle, West Chester, Pennsylvania

The four 2017 winners will be honored during the inaugural Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange. HDTX, an invitation-only fleet networking event, will be held May 8 to 10 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. Following an awards ceremony, this year’s Innovators will participate in a panel discussion to share more about their accomplishments as well as to discuss industry issues.

Each Truck Fleet Innovator was profiled for the cover story of our April Issue, which will appear online later this week.