Decker Truck Line recently announced its 2007 Drivers of the Year. Bahne Struecker was the driver selected for Decker’s reefer/van division, and Dan Welsh was chosen for the flatbed division. Struecker recently was recognized for his accomplishment at the Decker Christmas Party in Ames, Iowa, and Dan was recognized at the company party in Hammond, Ind.
Struecker was selected as the June 2007 reefer/van Driver of the Month, where he received a score of 174 points out of a possible 180. Struecker has been with Decker for 11 years, during which he has received previous Driver of the Month recognitions and became a member of the Million Mile Team.
“Bahne is a very good driver,” says Michael Erritt, reefer/van operations manager. “He is dependable, professional and very personable. We can count on Bahne to get the job done, and he represents the company in a positive manner out on the road.”
Welsh was selected as the December 2006 flatbed Driver of the Month, where he received a score of 170 points out of a possible 180. Welsh started with Decker in March 2002, when Decker took on Eagle Grove, Iowa-based Umthun Trucking. He resides in Pittsburgh.
“Dan is an easygoing, hard worker that does whatever is asked of him” says Mark Gleason, flatbed operations manager. “He lives out East, so he ends up doing a lot of loads that go out there. These loads are not always easy to cover, and he helps us out in taking care of those without any complaints.”
The company also recently announced its November Drivers of the Month, both of whom were eligible for yearly honors: Brian Samuelson, who lives in Davenport, Iowa, was selected for the honor from Decker’s flatbed division, and Lyle Grate, who is from Dallas, N.C., received the award for the reefer/van division. Both have been with the company for nearly two years.
Each month at Decker, dispatchers nominate drivers and owner-operators based on overall service and performance for that month. Operational productivity, safety records, maintenance/care of equipment (including idle time), payroll and billing, and customer service are evaluated for each driver nominee to determine who is most deserving of the honor. One driver is chosen from the reefer/van division, and one is chose from the flatbed division. Each monthly award winner in 2007 was eligible to receive the award for Driver (or Owner-Operator) of the Year.
