Heavy Duty Trucking has named six trucking fleet executives as its HDT Truck Fleet Innovators for 2021, honoring their leadership in areas such as technician training and maintenance; leading-edge truck and trailer specs and technology; driver training and retention; building a culture of safety, and infusing data and digitalization into every aspect of the company.

HDT’s annual Truck Fleet Innovator awards, now in its 15^th year, is about honoring more than a single innovation. It’s about recognizing a certain a mindset. These leaders are those who don’t hesitate to make changes in long-established ways of doing things. Innovations can be groundbreaking, revolutionary breakthroughs. Or they can involve simply taking something that already exists and using it in a new way or in a new industry. Innovators challenge conventional notions of how things have been done before. There’s no place for the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy in their world.

The 2021 HDT Truck Fleet Innovators are:

• Dan Carrano, vice president of fleet maintenance, A. Duie Pyle, West Chester, Pennsylvania

• Matt Handte, executive vice president, Tribe Express, Gainesville, Georgia

• Ken Johnson, chief executive officer, Leonard's Express, Farmington, New York

• Marc Kramer, chairman, Soar Transportation Group, West Valley City, Utah

• Brad Pinchuk, co-owner and chief executive officer, Hirschbach Motor Lines, Dubuque, Iowa

• Shaun Sadler, senior vice president of equipment, U.S. Xpress, Chattanooga, Tennessee

The 2021 Truck Fleet Innovators are profiled in the April print issue of Heavy Duty Trucking.  Watch for additional coverage on Truckinginfo.com.

They will accept their awards during the Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange event, August 25-27, in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they also will participate in a panel discussion.

HDT’s 2021 Truck Fleet Innovators program is sponsored by ConMet.