A. Duie Pyle was awarded the American Trucking Associations President’s Trophy — the highest safety award available to motor carriers in the United States. Pyle says it is one of only two mid-size regional less-than-truckload carriers serving the Northeast to receive the award for a second time. The company was recognized for the first time in 2005 and became eligible to receive the award again in 2009 after meeting the required three-year waiting period. Motor carriers from all 50 states compete for the award.
The President’s Trophy is presented by ATA and its Safety Management Council to one carrier in each of the following categories: Under 25 Million Miles (small fleet); 25 to 100 Million Miles (mid-size fleet); and Over 100 Million Miles (large fleet). Award recipients are determined by a panel of judges comprised of national safety professionals, past winners and law enforcement officials. A. Duie Pyle earned the award in the mid-size fleet category.
To be eligible to compete for the President’s Trophy, a fleet must have placed first, second or third in their division and mileage class/employee class in either the ATA National Truck (accident prevention) or Industrial Safety (injury prevention) Contests. Carriers that place in the top three then undergo a comprehensive review of their safety programs, including hiring standards and hours-of-service monitoring, equipment maintenance and purchases, driver and dock worker training, accident and injury reporting and investigation, and on-the-road monitoring and safety communication. The judging also takes into consideration roadside inspection results, as well as accident and injury prevention trends.
A. Duie Pyle’s Pete Dannecker, director of risk management and 2007 ATA Safety Director of the Year, and Richard Kaczynski, manager of loss prevention, were on hand to receive the award during the Safety Management Council’s recent Safety & Human Resources National Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore.
“Winning the ATA President’s Trophy is a significant achievement in transportation,” says Susan Chandler, Safety Management Council executive director. “The people of A. Duie Pyle have formed a unique safety culture within their company. Being a two-time winner of this award over a five-year period demonstrates just how committed they are to maintaining that culture.”
In addition, A. Duie Pyle was accepted into the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Partnership program last year and is now the only Northeast regional LTL carrier to bring global standards of safe and secure chemical transportation to the Northeast. The company says this designation, as well as its recent membership into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership program, underscores the importance that safety, security and environmental responsibility play in the day-to-day operations of its 17 LTL service centers.
“What is great about this award is that it recognizes the commitment and ongoing contribution of our entire company,” says Steve O’Kane, president of A. Duie Pyle, based in West Chester, Pa. “We hire safety-conscious people and then provide our people with the best in-house training available in the industry. We have a premier program that is raising safety standards in the Northeast.”
Other fleets awarded the 2009 ATA President’s Trophy, sponsored by Great West Casualty Co., were Wal-Mart Transportation, Bentonville, Ark., large fleet; and CVS Transportation, Woonsocket, R.I., small fleet.
Individual award recipients included:
