NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 13, 2026 – Long before a KAG truck leaves the terminal, a team of professionals are already at work. A technician in the shop before sunrise. A professional driver doing a pre-trip walk-around and planning their day. Those people, and thousands of their coworkers across the continent, have earned a prestigious award which recognizes the dedication and care our KAG team demonstrates every day: the Grand Award among the largest carrier fleets (Class 1) in the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) 2025 Personnel Safety Contest.
The Personnel Safety Contest is NTTC’s annual recognition of for-hire carriers and private fleets for workplace safety performance, in the terminal, the shop, the maintenance bay and the office. It is the part of KAG’s safety work the public rarely sees. The people doing this work are somebody’s parent, sibling, partner or child.
KAG competes among the largest for-hire carrier fleets in the contest (Class 1 of the For-Hire Carrier category). For 2024, the company earned Honor recognition in that group. For 2025, it moved up to the Grand Award, the top award in the group. And it reached this mark as North America’s largest tank truck transporter, at the biggest the company has ever been.
Our Team made this improvement and chases continuous improvement one decision at a time, in every terminal, shop and office, by planning the work, using the right equipment and by actively caring for one another. At KAG, safety is priority #1, a Core Value and a shared responsibility. Nobody carries it alone.
“This award belongs to the 10,000 people across Canada and the U.S. who earn it every single day,” said Grant Mitchell, President and Chief Operating Officer. “Every KAG employee who did the job the right way owns a piece of this recognition. The plaque will hang on a wall. This honor stands for people who truly care for each other, the communities we operate in every day and the customers we service with pride. This is the culture we’ve built together and continue to grow and foster, and it is the part I am the proudest of.”
KAG’s professional drivers were recognized as well. NTTC’s 2025 Competitive Safety Contest ranks carriers on their safety performance on the road, with results verified by independent auditors. KAG earned the Merit Award among the largest for-hire fleets (Class 1), placing it among the top three in its class. This recognition belongs to our professional drivers who cover these miles in many challenging conditions every single day.
“Our commitment is to the safety and success of our front-line team, and to everyone behind the scenes who helps them get there,” said Jude Groves, Executive Vice President of Safety, Sustainability and Training. “The professional driver at the rack, the technician in the service bay, the tank wash crew turning equipment around for the next load. We focus on giving them the training, the equipment and the support to do the job right, and on standing behind them when they do. The awards recognize a year of effort. The goal behind them does not change: do the right thing.”
KAG also recognizes Dan Wright, the company’s Vice President of Safety, Security and Compliance, for the commitment he has made as chairman of NTTC’s Safety & Security Council, a role he has held since 2025 and one that had him chairing this year’s council meeting in Oklahoma City. The council brings safety leaders from across the tank truck industry together to share what works to continually help us all get better. Somebody has to lead that room, and Dan has done it in addition to his responsibilities at KAG.
NTTC recognized KAG alongside other leading safety performers from across the tank truck industry at the Safety & Security Council’s Annual Awards Banquet during Tank Truck Week 2026 in Oklahoma City on September 30.
The award covers one year. The work starts again every morning, at every KAG terminal, shop and office, with the same people looking out for one another. KAG is proud of what we achieved this year and remains focused on strengthening our safety culture for our employees, our customers and the communities we serve.
