Kal Nikolchev Named Winner and 31 Additional Van Operators Celebrated by United Van Lines

Hilldrup’s roster of Van Operators is a star-studded list of professionals! For January 2025, United Van Lines published their list of Van Operators whose performance and metrics across a range of criteria rose to the top nation-wide. We’re thrilled to share that Kal Nikolchev was named the Winner of Van Operator of the Month for the East Region, and 31 additional Van Operators were highlighted as Honorable Mentions – an unprecedented number for a single month!

Kal Nikolchev’s win comes on the heels of being named Hilldrup’s 2024 Van Operator of the Year, an accolade he received in February 2025 during Hilldrup’s 7^th Annual Best of the Best Awards event. An industry veteran, Kal has been a Long-Distance Van Operator with us for the past 5 years.

To qualify for the Van Operator of the Month, a Van Operator must meet a range of criteria encompassing all areas of Van Operator performance. These categories include customer service, safety, cargo claims prevention, and good communication, among others. To be eligible, the Van Operator must be qualified in the UniGroup system for at least 12 months, have at least 50,000 miles, a minimum safety performance rating of 25,000, hold a 100 in safety, and be a one-rated driver.

Congratulations on your winning streak, Kal!

In addition, we’d like to celebrate the following Van Operators whose performance stood out amongst the hundreds of United Van Lines’ Van Operators across the country. Congratulations to:

1. Hugo Barbosa
2. James (Randy) Brewer
3. William Brimm
4. Chris Dudley
5. Mario Erazo Reyes
6. Jose Espinal
7. Robert Fitzgerald
8. Eric Galioto
9. Christopher Galva De La Rosa
10. Marcus Harrison
11. Chuck Hayes
12. Elin Hernandez
13. Mike Ingram
14. Jason Kibbe
15. Robert Miner
16. Lonnie Orf
17. Karl Panko
18. David Putnam
19. Tom Reilly
20. Joe Santos
21. Alex Smarte
22. Alexi Svirida
23. Tracy Thompson
24. Shawn Tribble
25. Matt Williams
26. Doug Wonnell
27. Lacy Wright
28. Wallace Wyatt
29. Giovanni Ynoa
30. Emmanuel Ynoa
31. Adrian Zelaya Pineda

Our Van Operators are the heart of our organization, and we’re thrilled to celebrate their hard work and success! Congratulations!

Justin Moyer Author

Justin Moyer is the Sr. Director, Risk Management and Compliance where he ensures Hilldrup is properly insured and complies with all laws pertaining to safety. A graduate of Concord College, Justin began his career with Hilldrup in 1996 and has served in multiple leadership roles.