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Mitch Robertson, an 11-year veteran route driver at St. Louis, Mo.-based Jackson Brothers, is the Quarterly Winner in the Automatic Merchandiser 6th Annual Route Driver of the Year Awards. The contest is sponsored by Kraft Vending & OCS.

Robertson was nominated by Jimmy Jackson, his operations manager. Robertson was chosen from a competitive field of drivers who were nominated by their supervisors for the chance to compete in the national competition. He was selected by the Automatic Merchandiser staff based on a numerical score for his performance in the following areas: how many years he has been a driver, how many machines he services, how many miles he travels, accidents and citations, number of sick days missed, speed, thoroughness, likability, number of compliments, friendliness, appearance, condition of truck, empty spirals, and sales.

“He trains the new employees and is very organized and efficient,” Jackson said of Robertson. “He never misses work and has been an excellent employee for 11 years.”

Robertson is 39, is married and has three children. He likes being a route driver. “I like the independence of it and making my own decisions,” he said. He also likes the fact that he gets home from work when his kids get back from school.

Robertson will receive $250 for winning the quarterly competition. The quarterly winners will compete for the national award, which will include an all-expense-paid trip for two to Chicago for the National Automatic Merchandising Association National Expo, a $1,500 flat screen TV, a story in Automatic Merchandiser, and a plaque.