Driving spirit: SMART’s Kevin Hemann honored as Minnesota Public Transit Association’s Driver of the Year – Austin Daily Herald

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SMART Transit lead driver Kevin Hemann was recently honored with the Minnesota Public Transit Association’s Driver of the Year award during the organizations fall conference in Rochester. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

SMART Transit lead driver Kevin Hemann is photographed with Joanne Brackey, who nominated him for the Minnesota Public Transit Association’s Driver of the Year. Photo provided

Kevin Hemann’s Minnesota Bus Operator of the Year award presented by the Minnesota Public Transit Association. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

There’s not much SMART Transit’s Kevin Hemann can’t do as part of his job as lead driver for the company and on Monday he was recognized for that work.

During the Minnesota Public Transit Association’s Fall Conference on Monday, Hemann was presented with the association’s Driver of the Year award.

Hemann was nominated for the award by Training Operations Manager Joanne Brackey and recognizes the leadership and dedication Hemann represents behind the scenes at SMART.

“I was shocked that I was nominated and won,” Hemann said Thursday morning. “I just come to work and try to do the best I can every day.”

Hemann’s work can encompass a variety of areas throughout a day from driving a route, covering shifts for others and working out driver schedules just to name a few. 

Every day is something new for Hemann and he loves that about his job.

“I just love coming to work,” he said. “I think I got a pretty good, close bond with the drivers and dispatch and my managers. Every day is different.”

“You really never get bored,” he added later. “Something is always popping up. It’s not just sitting at your desk or just sitting in a bus. One minute I’m driving a preschool route, the next minute I’m sitting at my desk working on driver schedules.” 

Hemann said he has been with SMART for 11 years and was with AMCAT prior to that for nine years, where he started as a driver before applying for lead driver after SMART took over operations.

During that time, Hemann has established a reputation for digging in and picking up aspects of the operations that can go unnoticed by the public.

“Kevin is a team player,” said Operations Manager Christine Thompson. “He does a lot of the behind the scenes things that people don’t realize that a lead driver is responsible for.”

That was highlighted by Brackey in her nomination letter as well as the overall positive impact he has on those around him.

“As lead driver, Kevin is responsible for managing the schedules of nearly half of the drivers in the agency; this weekly task requires constant attention and numerous edits to keep daily operations running smoothly,” Brackehy had said. “His commitment to this role is unmatched, and his ability to adapt and respond to last-minute changes is a testament to his reliability and leadership.”

While the award is a testament to Hemann’s work ethic, both he and Thompson agree that it’s also a reflection and representation of all of those who work with SMART from management down to the drivers and dispatch.

And all of that is important considering that Austin’s SMART operation is the biggest among the SMART’s locations with 14 buses. With preschool routes alone, Austin’s SMART has 16.

To Hemann, those he works with are akin to working with family.

“To me I think that it shows we’re a pretty tightly knit group and willing to help out,” he said. “I help out when I can and I think that’s kind of across the board.”

“They are like ‘I can stay later’ or ‘I can come in early. I can pick up a shift,’” Thompson agreed. “They are all pretty willing to help. I think they do that because Kevin is fair and he’s willing to help out.”