Truckload Authority - August/September 2018

A QUICK LOOK AT IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
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A QUICK LOOK AT
IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
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Best Fleets Contest
Nominations will be accepted between September 4 and October 31 for the
annual Best Fleets to Drive For contest, which was launched in the summer of
2008 by CarriersEdge and the Truckload Carriers Association.
The program identifies trends, shares best practices, and publicly recognizes
the for-hire carriers providing the best workplaces for their drivers.
Best Fleets to Drive For is open to any for-hire trucking company operating 10
trucks or more in the U.S. or Canada. Fleets do not have to be members of TCA to
participate and there’s no cost to participate.
To be considered, fleets must be nominated by a driver or independent contractor
currently working with them, then complete the evaluation process within
prescribed timelines.
There are four stages to the Best Fleets evaluation process:
• Nomination. A driver or independent contractor nominates the fleet through
this site. One nomination per company each year is sufficient.
• Questionnaire. Company representatives complete and submit an online
questionnaire, providing details on company programs and policies.
• Interview. CarriersEdge staff conduct a follow-up interview to review the
questionnaire and fill in additional information.
• Driver survey. Drivers/contractors at the fleet complete an online survey, providing
feedback on company programs and overall satisfaction.
Once the questionnaire and interview stages are completed and a sufficient
number of driver surveys are submitted, fleets may advance to the final round.
In the final round, scores are assigned for the breadth and depth of programs being
offered, driver satisfaction levels, and driver retention and safety performance.
Fleets with the best overall scores are named Best Fleets for the year.
After the evaluation and scoring process is complete, fleets are recognized in
a variety of different ways:
• Top 20 Best Fleets. The 20 fleets that have the best overall scores for the
year.
• Best Overall Fleet for Large Carriers and Best Overall Fleet for Small Carriers.
These are the two fleets in the Top 20 that have the absolute best overall
scores. One fleet is selected from the 10 largest carriers in the Top 20, the other
from the 10 smallest. These fleets are presented with a trophy in recognition of
their achievement.
• Five Consecutive Years. Fleets that make the Top 20 for five consecutive
years are recognized for their consistency and innovation.
• Fleets to Watch. These are the five fleets each year that have innovative
programs but didn’t make the Top 20.
All fleets recognized in one of the categories above receive a distinct logo to
identify themselves as winners or fleets to watch for the year. Each year’s Top 20
will be presented on stage at the 2019 TCA Annual Convention in Las Vegas and
the two overall winners unveiled.
The Best Fleets evaluation process runs through the fall each year, with winners
announced the following January.
After nominations close, questionnaires are completed through October and
November, interviews are conducted in November and early December, driver surveys
are submitted by midnight New Year’s Eve, the Top 20 announced around the
end of January and overall winners are announced at the convention each year.
Drivers of the Year Contest
Nominations are being accepted beginning September 17 for the annual Driver
of the Year contests which seek to identify and honor the best men and women
traveling the roads today, those who drive safely, give to their communities, protect
the environment and enhance the image of trucking as they make us all proud to
be a part of this great industry.
Truckers News and Overdrive partner with the Truckload Carriers Association
to conduct the contests. Sponsors are Cummins and Love’s Travel Stops & Country
Stores.
The overall goal of the contest is to recognize and pay tribute to the company
drivers and owner-operators who provide reliable and safe truck transportation in
moving the nation’s goods. Several finalists will be chosen for both divisions from
which the grand prize winners will be selected. The grand prize winners will be
recognized and honored as the outstanding company driver and owner-operator
for 2018 based on his/her ability to operate in a safe manner on the public highways,
efforts to enhance the public image of the trucking industry, and positive
contributions to the community in which he/she lives. Owner-operators will also
be judged on the ability to run a business.
The company driver contest is open to any company driver employed by an
over-the-road carrier who has safely driven one million consecutive, accident-free
miles. A company driver must be nominated by the motor carrier by which he/she
is currently employed and must have been employed by and driving for his/her
current trucking company employer for the past three years.
Fleet operators who own no more than five power units used in five-axle or
more tractor-trailer combinations and who drive one of the power units as a fulltime
occupation are eligible to enter this contest. An owner-operator who holds
his/her own state or federal operating authority or who is incorporated under the
laws of his/her or a trucking company’s domicile is also eligible for the contest.
Stephen Richardson, the 2018 Company Driver of the Year, grew up in a trucking family. His
father was a grocery delivery driver who enjoyed taking Stephen along with him during the
summer.
42 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018