LSO of the Year Earns Top Honors in Safety and School

Mohammad “Mo” Chatila, the managing partner and designated Landstar Safety Officer (LSO) at independent Landstar agency Let’s Move It LLC, gave a virtual presentation via video conference in the spring of 2021 to earn his final grades in college.

On the same day in April, at essentially the same time, Landstar President and CEO Jim Gattoni also made a live virtual presentation. Appearing before an exclusive audience of independent Landstar agents, Gattoni announced the recipients of the Landstar annual convention awards, which included naming Chatila the Landstar Safety Officer of the Year for 2020.

“I was near the end of my college presentation when suddenly my cell phone started getting notifications,”
says Chatila, who manages the independent Landstar agency in St. Augustine, Florida, with his four brothers – Yosef, Abe, Belal and Dane. “I was getting text messages from my brothers telling me to call them, that I had received an award from Landstar. So, after my portion of the presentation was done, I put the rest of the conference on mute and called my brothers to hear more about the news.” He laughs, “Thankfully all of this didn’t happen in a classroom setting.”

Chatila was selected as the 2020 LSO of the Year for the agency’s outstanding safety record and support of the Landstar safety culture. With his brother, Landstar Agent Yosef at the helm, Chatila explains how the agency consistently communicates customer safety and security procedures to independent owner-operators.

“Having the support of Landstar technology to communicate safety messages has improved our safety scores. We rely on the Landstar Connect mobile app, Clarity and Landstar’s TMS to improve our processes and increase safety measures at the agency. Every communication we send to owner-operators includes a safety message,” says Chatila. “There are fewer distractions with automatic alerts and status updates through the technologies, so we don’t have to call a driver to check in or distract them in any way. Technology helps our agency drive efficiencies and it helps Landstar business capacity owners (BCOs) put safety first while supporting our customers.”

“Mo and the team at Let’s Move It promote Landstar’s Complete and Accurate Dispatch process and consistently communicate about customer safety and security procedures,” says Landstar Vice President of Safety and Compliance Mike Cobb. “In 2020, the agency increased its revenue 22%, all while improving safety results. Safety officers with dedication like Mo are key to the safety-first culture at Landstar.”

“To have our agency recognized for our safety record and performance, is a great honor,” say Chatila. “I am very proud of this award, and will always remember being named Landstar Safety Officer of the Year.”

Despite having to mute the rest of his final college conference call, Chatila received an A+ on his presentation. In May, the Landstar Safety Officer of the Year graduated with degrees in economics and finance from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

Landstar Safety Officer Recognition

Landstar requires each of its independent agencies to identify an individual responsible for the safety performance of the agency, known as the Landstar Safety Officer or LSO. The designated LSO promotes safe, secure and compliant driving practices, participates in Landstar’s network-wide monthly Safety Thursday Conference Call and supports customer safety initiatives.

Each month, Landstar recognizes an LSO of the Month for his or her individual efforts to promote safety initiatives within the agency and the industry. The 12 LSOs selected throughout the year become candidates for the title of Landstar Safety Officer of the Year.