Landstar awarded the 2019 Landstar Safety Officer of the Year Award to independent Landstar Agent Don Ellis in April.

Ellis of Shipment Transport, Inc. based in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, was selected for his outstanding support of the Landstar safety culture. Ellis and his team conducted two Mutual Understanding of Safety Together or M.U.S.T. customer visits with agency customers in 2019. And, with more than 4 million Landstar business capacity owner (BCO) miles booked in 2019, the agency had no preventable accidents or cargo claims on any shipments it arranged during the year.

Landstar Transportation Logistics Vice President of Safety and Compliance Mike Cobb, commended Ellis on receiving the Landstar Safety Officer of the Year recognition. “Don promotes safety at his agency by emphasizing complete and accurate dispatch procedures and supporting his customers with Landstar’s safety initiatives,” said Cobb. ”The integrity of Landstar safety officers like Don are key to our safety-first culture.”

Landstar requires each of its 1,200 independent agent locations to name an individual responsible for the safety performance of the agency. The designated Landstar Safety Officer (LSO) promotes safe, secure and compliant driving, participates in Landstar’s network-wide monthly Safety Thursday Conference Call and supports customer safety initiatives. Each month, Landstar names one LSO of the Month, from which the Landstar Safety Officer of the Year is selected.

Ellis, like the 11 other LSO of the Year finalists in 2019, leads an agency with an impeccable safety record, no accident or cargo loss frequency rates for the year, and a staff that continuously looks for ways to improve safety.