Association Honors WIPP Waste Shipment Driver for Safety Excellence

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) driver Tommy Cash is pictured alongside a WIPP waste shipment truck.

CARLSBAD, N.M. — Over the past 43 years, Tommy Cash has accumulated more than 3.5 million safe miles as a professional truck driver, a distance comparable to more than seven round trips to the moon. For more than half of that time, he’s served as a waste shipment driver for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

That impeccable record is among the reasons the Truckload Carriers Association recognized Cash with one of its 2026 Professional Drivers of the Year Awards at the association’s recent annual convention in Orlando, Florida.

Cash is an exceptional driver who has made a significant impact on the trucking industry, his colleagues, his community and the company that employs him, WIPP transportation contractor CAST Specialty Transportation, according to the association.

“Driving for the federal government, especially with WIPP, has been more than a job; it's been a profound responsibility and an honor. CAST’s safe transportation record is a testament to the meticulous care and respect this work demands,” Cash said.

Mark Bollinger, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management Carlsbad Field Office, which oversees WIPP, said CAST has shown unwavering reliability and dedication as the primary waste transporter for WIPP for over two and a half decades.

"With an unparalleled record of safety and commitment to excellence, they have driven more than 17 million loaded miles across the United States," Bollinger said. "This success has enabled DOE to continue to meet its critical environmental cleanup mission."

WIPP drivers transport transuranic waste shipments from DOE generator sites to the WIPP underground waste repository near Carlsbad, New Mexico. They must meet extensive driving and background requirements before being considered for employment and complete almost 200 hours of training prior to transporting their first shipment. The training includes use of package securement devices, radiation detection equipment and emergency management procedures.

Each shipment is inspected to Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Level VI standards, the industry’s highest level, prior to departing a transuranic waste generator site. Transuranic waste is comprised of debris, residues, soil, and other items contaminated with radioactive elements — largely plutonium — that have atomic numbers greater than uranium.

"The entire staff at CAST Specialty Transportation extends heartfelt appreciation for Mr. Cash’s dedication to safety on the roadways and his remarkable career," said Rich DeFeyter, CAST president. "Congratulations for being honored with such a prestigious award."