The National Private Truck Council recognized fleet members that continued to elevate safety performance during the group’s Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition held April 17-19 in Cincinnati. “The purpose of the Safety Awards program is to recognize those member companies that strive to make private fleet safety a benchmark of their operations,” says Randy Perry, fleet safety manager for Frito-Lay Inc. and chair of the NPTC Safety Committee.
The awards are presented to those companies whose fleets experienced the lowest ratio of accidents per million miles for the past year. The 2011 winners, based on safety performance achieved in 2010, are:
• Local operations (fleets whose vehicles deliver in a local market regardless of size): First place (tie), CVS Transportation, Milliken & Co. and Webster Industries Inc.;
• Regional operations (small fleet, less than 50 vehicles): First place (tie), Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Hittman Transport Services Inc., Jerico Services Inc. and Moen Inc.;
• Regional operations (large fleet, 50 vehicles or more): First place, Hittman Transport Services;
• Mixed operations (small fleet, less than 50 vehicles): First place (tie), ADM Trucking Inc., Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Frito-Lay Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., Orgill Inc., Marzetti Co. and Targa Transport; and
• Mixed operations (large fleet, 50 vehicles or more): First place, Orgill Inc.; and second place, Targa Transport.
Also recognized were fleets with outstanding and/or improved safety records based upon their crash rates. Winners of the Gold Seal, awarded to fleet experiencing zero crashes in 2010, were ADM Trucking Inc., CVS Transportation, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Frito-Lay Inc., Hittman Transport Services, Jerico Services Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., Marzetti Co., Milliken & Co., Moen Inc., Orgill Inc., Targa Transport and Webster Industries Inc.
Winners of the Silver Seal, presented to those companies whose fleets reduced their vehicle crash rates by 40 percent or more compared to the previous year, were ADM Trucking Inc., Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., CVS Transportation, Energy Dispatch, Frito-Lay Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., Milliken & Co., New South Express, Occidental Chemical Corp., Orgill Inc. and Webster Industries Inc.
Winners of the Bronze Seal, presented to companies who have reduced their vehicle crash rates by 20 percent to 39 percent from the previous year, were ADM Trucking Inc., Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, CVS Transportation, DOT Transportation, Frito-Lay Inc., Hospira Worldwide Inc., Steelcase Inc., Targa Transport and Taylor Distributing.
Also at the NPTC conference:
• J. Bedford Monday Jr., general manager for Schwans Consumer Brands, was elected secretary of the NPTC board of directors. In addition, the council elected six new members to the board: David Helge, vice president of operations for Idealease of North America; Mike Lickert, corporate fleet manager for Talon Logistics, Inc./Giant Eagle; Dan Norris, fleet operations manager for Pepsi Beverages Co.; Gary Palmer, senior director of transportation for True Value Co.; Brett J. Quigley, DSD fleet senior manager for Kellogg Co.; and Cheryl Sooter, vice president of Custard Insurance Adjusters.
• Seven executives received the Private Fleet Professional Leadership Award for their contributions to the private fleet community: Private Fleet Executive of the Year, Rick Foster, director of private fleet safety for Wal-Mart Transportation; Fleet Safety Professional of the Year, Bill Hartman, manager of private fleet operations for GNC Transportation; Private Fleet Member of the Year, Gary Strausbaugh, vice president of transportation for Mennel Milling Co.; Allied Member of the Year, Michael Pennington, manager of industry relations for Meritor Inc.; Membership Development Award, Brian McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for PeopleNet; Dan Smith Life Achievement Award, Charlie Bumb, formerly of Cummins Inc.; and the C.H. Robinson Worldwide Excellence in Backhauling Award, Brian Holley, director of transportation for Whiteline Express Ltd.
• James West, a driver with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service operating out of Waco, Texas, received the Humanitarian Award, which recognizes individuals who share an extraordinary commitment to helping others.
• Four truck drivers were inducted into the NPTC Driver Hall of Fame: Larry Allen, ADM Trucking Inc., Hixson, Tenn.; James Gentry, Shaw Transport Inc., Dalton, Ga.; Bobby Mann Sr., CPC Logistics Inc., assigned to Hospira Worldwide Inc., Woodland, N.C.; and Lee Pennington, Batesville Logistics Inc., Shelbyville, Ind.
• Forty-nine transportation professionals achieved the NPTC Institute’s Certified Transportation Professional designation. Troy Stevenson, director of logistics for GreenLine Foods Inc., received the Top Graduate Award.
