TCA presents prestigious safety awards at annual meeting in The Bahamas

The Trucker Staff

3/7/2008

PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas — The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) presented several prestigious awards at its 33rd annual National Fleet Safety Awards ceremonies at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in The Bahamas.

According to a TCA news release, Stagecoach Cartage & Distribution LP of El Paso, Texas, won the award for truckload companies with a total annual mileage of less than 25 million miles, and Bison Transport of Winnipeg, Manitoba, won in the category for truckload companies with a total annual mileage of more than 25 million miles.

TCA presented the awards to Jay Blobner, director of safety for Stagecoach, and to Rob Penner, vice president of operations for Bison.

The two grand prize winners were selected from among 18 division winners in the National Fleet Safety Division Awards announced in January. Both companies maintain stringent standards in their overall safety programs, on and off the highway, and were judged to be the best in their commitments to improving safety on our nation's highways, the news release stated.

Stagecoach has incorporated the latest technology into its vehicles, allowing it to track the maximum speed of their trucks, idle times, hard braking, lane departures, and tire pressure. Using this information, the company can spot a driver who is following other vehicles too closely and work with him to change the unsafe habit.

Speeding is another issue that is tracked closely: drivers are warned twice and then terminated if three speeding incidents are detected.

Stagecoach employees receive fruit every morning for breakfast and are reimbursed for membership in a fitness facility if they choose to participate. The company recently held a Fitness Challenge, paying everyone who entered $10 for each pound of weight lost. It also hosts a driver-fatigue program and a smoking-cessation program.

Another tenet of Stagecoach’s safety program is its attention to the driver’s needs. “A driver who feels that he has no one to turn to if he has issues with other personnel, safety concerns, family issues, etc., is an unhappy driver who may in turn become an unsafe driver,” the company wrote in its Grand Prize application.

Stagecoach mediates between the driver and various company representatives until the conflict is resolved. Stagecoach also utilizes a rigorous driver hiring and training program and orientation system.

For Bison Transport, 2007 marked the third consecutive year it has won TCA’s Grand Prize National Safety Award for its mileage category.

A new feature of the 2007 campaign was the development of a Driver Risk Level Assessment, which applies point values for both positive and negative matters, such as training a driver has taken, positive driver check reports, moving or log violations, and preventable accidents. When the formula is calculated, it helps Bison identify a driver’s risk level and bring him to an acceptable level of risk before he might be involved in an accident. The tool allows Bison management to replace general fleet training programs with specific programs tailored to the individual driver, at the urgency level required.

In its Grand Prize application, Bison Transport wrote that its “philosophy is simple and unwavering. We do what is right! ... We are vigilant in the protection of our people, our assets, the cargo our customers entrust us with, our environment and those we share the roads with. We encourage and reward safe driving practices and we remind our people daily of their responsibility, as professionals, to uphold safety.”

The following companies are the top (first through third place) divisional winners based on low-accident frequency per million miles:

Division I, Under 5 Million Miles: StageLine Express Inc. of Coopersville, Mich.; Excargo Services Inc. of Houston; and Rochester Cartage Inc. of Rochester, Minn.

Division II, 5 Million to14.99 Million Miles: H.O. Bouchard Inc. of Hampden, Maine; Stallion Express Inc. of Beebe, Ark.; and Lydall Transport LTD of Glen Allen, Va.

Division III, 15 Million to 24.99 Million Miles: D & D Sexton Inc. of Carthage, Mo.; Usher Transport Inc. of Louisville, Ky.; and Stagecoach Cartage & Distribution LP of El Paso.

Division IV, 25 Million to 49.99 Million Miles: MacKinnon Transport Inc. of Guelph, Ontario; Erb International of New Hamburg, Ontario; and Metropolitan Trucking Inc. of Maywood, N.J.

Division V, 50 Million to 99.99 Million Miles: Groupe Robert Inc. of Rougemont, Québec; Carter Express Inc. of Anderson, Ind.; and Koch Companies Inc. of Minneapolis.

Division VI, 100-Plus Million Miles: Bison Transport of Winnipeg; May Trucking Co. of Salem, Ore.; and Roehl Transport Inc. of Marshfield, Wis.

TCA’s Past Chairman’s Award went posthumously to Richard “Buck” Jenkins, co-owner of Diamond Transportation System Inc. in Racine, Wis. The award is given to recognized industry leaders who make a significant contribution to the business community, the industry, and TCA. It is the highest award of recognition given by the TCA.

Jenkins, a TCA member for 36 years, served as a TCA officer and treasurer from 2000-2004 and as chairman of the Bylaws Committee from 1992-1993 and 1997-1998.

He was involved in the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association (WMCA) and served in numerous positions, including chairman. In 2003, he was presented the Frank W. Babbitt Award, WMCA’s highest honor, for his outstanding service, support of the trucking industry and contributions to the association.

 “Buck Jenkins was a rock-solid truckload guy, through and through,” said Jim O’Neal, president of O & S Trucking at Springfield, Mo., and outgoing TCA chairman. “He was always pitching in to help the organization, either as a member or as an officer, or both. We could think of no other recipient more deserving of this award.”

Jenkins married Jeanette Voetberg in 1988 after meeting her at a TCA annual convention. He died from cancer in November 2007 at age 74.

The 10th annual Lee J. Crittenden Memorial Award was presented to Ray Haight, executive director of MacKinnon Transport Inc. of Guelph.

The award goes to the person who has done the most to advance the ideals and goals of the Professional Truck Driver Institute Inc., of which Lee Crittenden was a staunch supporter until his death in April 1998.

Haight, who is the outgoing chairman of PTDI, was elected in December 2002. Shortly thereafter, during a transitional period, he became the organization’s full-time chairman and leader. He was instrumental in changing PTDI’s Board of Directors to a fully functioning Board that took an active role in moving PTDI forward. He was part of a team that created a Standards Review Committee and a Finance Committee that developed a PTDI budget, helping the organization to become solvent and fiscally responsible.

Working closely with the staff and Board, Haight created a new PTDI brand that has been a turning point for the organization. He brought visibility and revitalization back to the organization.

Haight has been active in promoting the image of the driver and in drive retention.

According to Robert McClanahan, director of transportation and safety education at Central Tech in Drumright, Okla., and the 2006 recipient of the Crittenden award, “Ray has always been available any time he has been called upon to attend meetings and conferences to discuss these important issues. He has heard all points of view and has given great input with his own thoughts and comments. He is a true leader in the industry.”

Although his responsibilities with PTDI will be winding down, Haight is now embarking on a new endeavor: he was just elected for a one-year term as chairman of Truckload Carriers Association.

The man for whom the award is named was passionate about promoting a positive image of professional truck drivers, and was largely responsible for the creation of America’s Road Team. He also initiated a scholarship program for the drivers who participate in the National Truck Driving Championships, and he founded the Professional Truck Driver Institute and worked for CitiCapital, the company that was instrumental in creating the award in conjunction with TCA.

PTDI currently has certified entry-level training courses at 66 schools in 28 states and Canada.