Gemini Motor Transport recorded a lower accident frequency last year than in 2022, when the primary fuel hauler for Love’s Travel Stops earned the first private-fleet championship in National Tank Truck Carrier’s North American safety contest. But Gemini executives didn’t expect to repeat, believing the competition was too stiff, and judges were unlikely to celebrate the same fleet in consecutive years.
They were happily mistaken.
“Frankly, I was quite shocked,” said Brent Bergevin, Love’s executive vice president of transportation.
“Very seldom does anybody win these things back-to-back.”
Gemini beat the odds with an accident frequency of 0.255—which is lower than the 0.282 it recorded in 2022, despite covering nearly 7 million more miles in 2023—to secure its third Heil trophy in seven years and become the first two-time reigning safety champion since Groendyke in 1999 and 2000. And Groendyke’s leaders, who view Gemini and Phillips 66 as fellow petrochemical “royalty” in Oklahoma—Groendyke was founded in Enid, Gemini in Oklahoma City, and Phillips in Bartlesville— weren’t surprised.
“They have built one heck of a safety record, and they’ve done it pretty quickly,” said Greg Hodgen, CEO of nine-time champion Groendyke. “More power to them. They look like they are head-and-shoulders above their peers in the private-fleet category. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they caught us at some point.
“They’re really good and they should be proud of that effort.”
Safety culture
Gemini’s mixed fleet of 1,000 daycabs, 175 sleeper trucks, and 1,300 tank trailers traveled almost 130 million miles in 2023; and its 1,800 drivers combined for 2,300 loads per day while serving 646 Love’s locations and third-party customers with gasoline, diesel fuel, biodiesel, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), jet fuel, and ethanol. And Gemini’s drivers did all this while posting 12 fewer DOT-recordable incidents than in 2022.
“We did pretty much everything right,” said Jim Dillon, truck assets manager.
“Everybody on the Gemini team is dedicated to safety and we’re constantly looking for new technologies and procedures to make us safer. When you drive as many miles as we do, accidents are going to happen, but the education, constant communication about safety, and the technologies we keep adding to our drivers’ arsenal are minimizing their impact and reducing our accident frequency.”
See also: Gemini’s second Heil a fitting memorial to Love’s founder
Gemini claimed its first Heil trophy in 2017 while competing in NTTC’s Harvison division for large for-hire carriers. But the work began much earlier, Bergevin said. “We started this journey 15 years ago, when we started applying every year, really digging into safety, and tracking our progress. So, to win the first one seven years ago was hugely satisfying. And then, like anything, it was like, ‘OK, I want another one.’”
The key to Gemini’s success is recruiting elite drivers, establishing expectations early—the company maintains a strict code of conduct and no re-hire policy—and then retaining drivers by treating them fairly. Gemini’s turnover hovers around 15%, and it was down 5% in the first half of 2023. “If we say we’re going to do something, we do it,” Bergevin said. “There are a lot of drivers out there who’ve been mistreated. We give them everything in writing, so if we make an offer, it’s all right there.
“There’s no second guessing.”
With trust established, safety culture ingrained, and satisfied senior drivers on staff, Gemini is building momentum—and looking for a championship three-peat. The last company to earn three straight was Dan Dugan Oil Transport, which collected five from 1952 to 1956. “We’ve always been safety-focused, but the awards are affirmation we’re doing something right,” said Andy Lash, general manager of logistics. And they’re doing it without terminals. Instead, Gemini’s slip-seat drivers—managed by 24 regional managers and empowered to make autonomous safety decisions—serve delivery points typically within a 300-mile radius, and park trucks at Love’s stores or designated areas.
“Drivers going home every day is the real reward for what we do,” Lash said. “The awards are the cherry on top.”
Safety supports
Gemini supports its driver workforce with in-depth training, premium equipment, and innovative safety technology. It recently was the first fleet to secure an exemption from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to use Intellistop’s pulsating brake lamp module on the back of its trailers to reduce rear-end crashes. “Any time a new safety technology comes out, we jump on it,” Dillon said. Gemini also uses Lytx cameras combined with artificial intelligence technology, Geotab GPS and electronic logging devices, and IMMI RollTek seats. “We’ve always been big believers in taking advantage of all the safety technologies in the marketplace,” said Jeremy Gravely, director of operations.
“And if it’s not out there, we’ll figure out how to develop it ourselves.”
Forward- and driver-facing cameras, mirror-mounted side-facing cameras, and trailer-rear, blind-spot cameras “have been an absolute gamechanger” for Gemini, Bergevin maintained. “They show you exactly what happened,” he said. “And if we did something wrong, at least we know it’s our responsibility.” Lash agreed, saying cameras and real-time notifications continue to pay dividends. “They’ve become a vital tool, not only as a source of truth in a chaotic event, like an accident, but also as a way to figure out the root cause.
“Then, instead of putting out blanket trainings, we can zero in on real issues.”
New International and Kenworth trucks feature Bendix Wingman Fusion systems, and new Freightliner trucks boast Detroit Assurance safety. Gemini aims to trade in used trucks at four years or 450,000 miles, but they’re “catching up” this year after falling behind, Bergevin said. Gemini has 550 trucks on order, and Dillon expects to receive all the trucks and more than 100 trailers this year. Love’s Truck Care and Speedco, with 435 locations nationwide, handle Gemini’s maintenance and repairs.
See also: Gemini wins first Intellistop exemption
Leaders also are “progressive” in how they leverage data—while maintaining an old-school belief in drivers’ professionalism.
“We have a lot of respect for our drivers,” Lash said. “We are not going to push them to do something they feel is unsafe. And we’re always working with them. We don’t use them like a truck. They’re not just a tool for us in logistics. They’re team members and partners—and we want their input.
“That’s a big part of our success.”
Safety bonus
Safety success unlocks bonus benefits, not the least of which is assuring Love’s—Gemini’s most valuable customer—it’s up for the job. “The Love family’s mission when they started Gemini was to be the safest hazmat carrier on the road,” Lash said, adding that drivers receive cash bonuses through the company’s “Gemini Loves Drivers” program for every five years without a DOT-recordable incident.
“They didn’t want us delivering fuel if we couldn’t do it safely.”
As long as Gemini continues to prioritize safety, it will grow “side-by-side” with Love’s—which regularly establishes new locations every year—Gravely predicted. The fuel haul already is “running hard and using every asset,” Lash said, and Bergevin sees no end to diesel demand, despite small upticks in renewable diesel volumes—and the enthusiasm for electric vehicles in California and Washington. “We’re a long, long way from getting out of the diesel truck market,” Bergevin said. “Quite frankly, I don’t think we’ll see it commercially, in any viable way, in my career. So it’s a ways out there yet.”
A reputation for safety also increases third-party inquiries, and Heil trophies are a powerful recruiting tool. “People do their research now, and there are a lot of options out there,” Gravely said. “So winning helps us in recruiting, and more so from a tenure standpoint. When people come here, they realize we are what we say.
“Gemini’s the real deal—from the safety culture to the family environment.”
The company plans to ensure all 2,000-plus employees share in the success with celebratory lunches and other “goodies” throughout the year, said Bergevin—who intends to keep the good times rolling for North America’s safest private fleet as long as he’s in charge. “I eat and breathe this stuff,” Bergevin said. “I love doing it, and I love being part of this company and leading the Gemini team.
“So I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.”
