Industry Update

Truckload Carriers Association now accepting nominations for ‘Best Fleets to Drive For’ contest

(Subhead) 2010 contest recognizes fleets based on driver type, as well as size

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) announced the opening of the 2010 “Best Fleets to Drive For” contest at the recent Great West Truck Show. The annual survey and contest will be administered by CarriersEdge, a leading provider of online driver improvement programs, with support from official media partners Ramp Media Group in the USA, publisher of Driver HEALTH magazine; and Over the Road magazine in Canada.
Now through October 31, 2009, company drivers and owner-operators may nominate their trucking companies by e-mailing:

Nominate@BestFleetsToDriveFor.com

     There is also an application form online at bestfleetstodrivefor.com. Best Fleets to Drive For identifies the North American for-hire trucking companies that provide exceptional workplace environments for their drivers. Nominations can only originate from company drivers or owner-operators for their employing or affiliated carriers that operate 10 trucks or more (whether TCA members or not). One driver nomination is all that is needed to nominate a carrier. After that driver’s employment/affiliation has been verified, telephone interviews will be conducted with the nominee’s management to evaluate the carrier in areas such as benefits, professional development, driver and community support, safety record, and company culture. Following the interview, a selection of the nominee’s drivers will be surveyed to corroborate the information collected. The top finishers will be identified as Best Fleets to Drive For, and the highest scoring fleets in each of four categories will be named that category’s overall winner.
     One significant change has been made for 2010: the contest now recognizes the operating differences between fleets that utilize owner-operators vs. fleets that employ company drivers. Thus, four overall winners will now be selected, one in each of the following categories: Best Fleet for Owner-Operators (with over 100 drivers and under 100 drivers, respectively), and Best Fleet for Company Drivers (with over 100 drivers and under 100 drivers, respectively).
     Being selected as a Best Fleet to Drive
For is an honor that generates more than just immediate publicity value; the recognition also boosts the carrier’s attractiveness to potential drivers and provides a foundation from which the carrier can gauge its current driver satisfaction. Herb Schmidt, president of Con-way Truckload, one of last year’s winners, said, “Being recognized as a Best Fleet to Drive For was especially meaningful for us because there is no better testament to our success than feedback from our drivers. We are always working to improve our drivers’ experience in the workplace – the award lets us know we are on the right track.”
     The TCA contest benefits not just the winners, but also the entire trucking industry, as the data collected provides a wealth of success stories that can be shared with other companies who may wish to adopt or follow the winners’ best practices.
     “This survey focuses attention on promoting the companies that are already doing a good job, and pushes others to follow in their footsteps – continually improving the overall average and status quo,” said Chris Burruss, TCA president.
     “We’ve learned a lot from last year’s contest winners, who demonstrated that, regardless of the economic climate, fleets that invest in their people are more productive and more profitable,” said Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge. TCA is the only national trade association whose collective sole focus is the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry. The association represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed, and intermodal container carriers operating in the 48 contiguous states, as well as Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Representing operators of more than 200,000 trucks, which collectively produce annual revenue of more than $20 billion, TCA is an organization tailored to specific truckload carrier needs.
     CarriersEdge is the nation’s leading provider of online driver quality improvement solutions.            Comprised of online testing, training and reporting tools, along with expert business analysis and consulting services, CarriersEdge allows trucking companies to improve business performance by improving driver quality, and to do so without the compromises required by traditional alternatives. Over The Road is Canada’s leading recruiting and retention solutions company comprised of outreach mediums such as Over the Road magazine, Truck Post (Western Canada), and truck stop marketing services. Over the Road’s newest offering is Infinit-i Solutions which is a Web-based platform that provides training (videos) and internal communications with a complete tracking and reporting system. RAMP Media Group, with main offices in Atlanta, GA, is best known as the originator of the digest- size driver recruitment magazine, and as the publisher of Driver HEALTH magazine and Inside Trucking Online. RAMP is also well-known as a leader in nationwide efforts to improve the health of professional drivers and is proud to serve as a Platinum Sponsor of the Healthy Trucking Association of America. (HealthyTruck.org).