diff --git a/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/GpuShuffleEnv.scala b/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/GpuShuffleEnv.scala
index cb38dd9f6db..ebc271aadc5 100644
--- a/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/GpuShuffleEnv.scala
+++ b/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/GpuShuffleEnv.scala
@@ -124,6 +124,12 @@ object GpuShuffleEnv extends Logging {
     Option(env).foreach(_.closeStorage())
   }
 
+  def getCatalog: ShuffleBufferCatalog = if (env == null) {
+    null
+  } else {
+    env.getCatalog
+  }
+
   //
   // Functions below only get called from the executor
   //
@@ -135,8 +141,6 @@ object GpuShuffleEnv extends Logging {
     env = shuffleEnv
   }
 
-  def getCatalog: ShuffleBufferCatalog = env.getCatalog
-
   def getReceivedCatalog: ShuffleReceivedBufferCatalog = env.getReceivedCatalog
 
   def getDeviceStorage: RapidsDeviceMemoryStore = env.getDeviceStorage
diff --git a/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/RapidsShuffleInternalManager.scala b/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/RapidsShuffleInternalManager.scala
index 2939645fbb8..ca3458cd234 100644
--- a/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/RapidsShuffleInternalManager.scala
+++ b/sql-plugin/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/rapids/RapidsShuffleInternalManager.scala
@@ -202,6 +202,8 @@ abstract class RapidsShuffleInternalManagerBase(conf: SparkConf, isDriver: Boole
 
   //Many of these values like blockManager are not initialized when the constructor is called,
   // so they all need to be lazy values that are executed when things are first called
+
+  // NOTE: this can be null in the driver side.
   private[this] lazy val catalog = GpuShuffleEnv.getCatalog
   private lazy val env = SparkEnv.get
   private lazy val blockManager = env.blockManager
@@ -284,7 +286,7 @@ abstract class RapidsShuffleInternalManagerBase(conf: SparkConf, isDriver: Boole
           gpu.asInstanceOf[GpuShuffleHandle[K, V]],
           mapId,
           metrics,
-          GpuShuffleEnv.getCatalog,
+          catalog,
           GpuShuffleEnv.getDeviceStorage,
           server)
       case other =>