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“We’ve implemented touch points to stay in contact with the new hire for 180 days," says Hansen & Adkins' Tommy Valenzuela. (Conversion Interactive Agency)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tommy Valenzuela, director of recruiting at Hansen & Adkins Auto Transport, was named the after leading a transformation of his company’s driver recruiting processes.

Transport Topics presented the award Feb. 26 at the 2026 Recruitment & Retention Conference, co-hosted by , American Trucking Associations and TT.

In the past year, Valenzuela and his team strengthened recruiting operations at Hansen & Adkins with an emphasis on building trust with drivers and ultimately improving long-term retention.

Hansen & Adkins, a vehicle hauler based in Los Alamitos, Calif., operates more than 40 terminals across the United States and Canada.

During a panel discussion immediately before the award presentation, Valenzuela highlighted his company’s high-touch communication strategy, which has helped the business better understand the needs of newly hired drivers.

“You can work your way out of a bad month or a bad quarter or a bad year, but you can’t work your way out of a broken experience,” he said. “We’ve implemented touch points to stay in contact with the new hire for 180 days.”

Hansen & Adkins also has implemented software tools to streamline driver recruiting and onboarding.

“Technology has really allowed our team to benefit and do more with less,” Valenzuela said.

Beyond his own company, Valenzuela is an active ambassador for the trucking industry and an advocate for workforce inclusion, particularly for veterans and women.

The other two finalists for the award were Astin Robertson, senior director of enterprise talent acquisition at Covenant Logistics, and Betsy Waldrop, vice president of driver resources at temperature-controlled carrier Freymiller.

Robertson and Waldrop shared their insights on attracting and retaining qualified drivers during the panel discussion.

The annual Transport Topics Recruiting Professional of the Year Award, introduced in 2016, recognizes driver recruiting and retention leaders who exceed recruiting objectives, drive innovation in recruiting at their organizations and implement policies, processes and practices that promote the trucking industry and driver recruiting and retention for all motor carriers.

The finalists and winner are chosen by a committee consisting of former winners of the award who review the nominations using an anonymous selection process.