In 2024, Eddie Burns of Midland Tyre Services — Ireland’s largest independently owned tyre supplier — was named ‘Top Driver’ in Samsara’s inaugural Connected Operations Awards for the UK and Ireland. 

A professional driver for more than 30 years, he has an unblemished safety record and a driver safety score of 99%. Not bad for someone who clocks up more than 31,000 miles (50,000 km) a year. 

His colleagues describe him as an “exemplary professional” whose career has been marked by a “steadfast commitment to safety, adaptability, a positive disposition towards change, reliability, and keen commercial awareness.”

Here, he discusses his role at Midland Tyre Services, the importance of teamwork, what motivates him, and the importance of safety. And he reveals how a trip to Chicago to pick up his award met with a chance encounter at a Rolling Stones gig. 

Eddie, could you tell me just a little bit more about your job?

Sure. I’m the Munster Area Manager for Midland Tyre. Along with my team, we look after the day-to-day running of some of our blue-chip clients. We make sure everything is alright for our customers. If there’s a breakdown. Or someone’s in trouble. It’s up to us to sort it out.  

What do you most enjoy about your role?

Every day is different. I work with a fantastic team. My motto has always been: “You're only as good as who you have alongside you, behind you, and in front of you.” 

How do those close relationships help you do a better job?

If you can get to know people, it makes life so much easier. I can tell what mood people are in by the way they walk. If their head’s down, I go up and ask them if they’re “OK?” If their head’s up, then I know they’re flying. 

What kind of challenges do you face in your job? 

Safety is a huge issue, you know. All we want is for the lads to go to work in the morning, enjoy their day, their work, and then go home to their families in the evenings. At Midland, safety is our biggest priority. Thankfully, Samsara’s technology has taken care of that. It encourages the lads to drive better. You can’t ask for more than that. 

What difference has Samsara’s technology made to you? 

We use Samsara for everything — our servicing, communication, walkarounds, all of it. I initially thought Samsara was just for tracking van locations. I didn't realise it included features like safety scores and mobile phone usage tracking. It was challenging at first, but the improvements have been significant. Our average score has shown a five-point improvement, which is huge for us. This definitely encourages our drivers to take their time and drive safely.

Can you give an example of how Samsara’s tracking helps you do your job? 

From a business perspective, using Samsara really helps. We can easily track our drivers without having to call them. For example, if you’re on a roadside breakdown and you call me asking how long my driver will be, I don't need to hang up and call the driver. I can just check Samsara and see that he's nine minutes away. This saves time and allows me to focus on my job.

You’re a professional driver. And your company is passionate about safety too. How would you rate the standard of other people on the road? 

Most drivers are great. Do you know what I mean? But you also know you’re going to meet bad ones too. And when you do, you have to be ready. My advice to everyone is give people lots of room. That way, it’s easier to react if necessary. 

What do you do when you’re not working? 

Yeah, I like sports. I like Gaelic football. I like hurling. My son plays a lot of football — all my kids do — so I like to go to that. 

You’ve been named the top driver as part of the COA awards. What does the award mean to you? 

It’s fantastic. An honour. But there’s also an important message. It shows the younger drivers what is achievable in terms of safety. And that’s really important. 

But I've got to tell you this. As part of the prize, I went to Chicago to pick up the award in person — and managed to get tickets to see the Rolling Stones in concert as well. That was a bonus. And you’ll never believe this. I walked in there and bumped into my cousin. I hadn’t seen him in 12 years. Pure accident.

He was just sitting there eating a pizza. So, I sat down alongside him and I said, “Hey, Declan, how are you? What are you doing here?”

What are the chances of that? Small, small world.