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TALK
A QUICK LOOK AT IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
SMALL
A QUICK LOOK AT
IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
TALK
Clifton Parker, president and
general manager of G&P Trucking
Co., accepts the Past Chairmen’s
Award.
Shortly thereafter, he served
as vice president of operations
for Red Arrow Freight Lines.
During his tenure at G&P
Trucking, Parker has been active
in the South Carolina Trucking
Association where he served
as chairman for two years, and
is presently SCTA’s representative
to the American Trucking
Associations. He also serves as
chairman of the Hours of Service
Subcommittee for the American
Trucking Associations and is a
member of the safety, environmental,
technology and intermodal policy committees.
Parker has been recognized by the South Carolina House of Representatives
for outstanding leadership in the field of transportation and was appointed
to a study committee on public-private partnerships in transportation
to make recommendations to the governor on highway funding.
Then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed him to represent the governor’s office on
the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s Highway Commission in
2011, a position in which he still serves today.
The Past Chairmen’s award is TCA’s highest honor. Recipients are leaders
who have made a significant contribution to the business community, the
trucking industry and the organization. Contrary to the title of the award, the
awardee does not have to be a past chairman of the association.
Chairman’s Fairwell Address
Looking back on his term as chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association,
Rob Penner reflected on the past 12 months.
At the 2017 convention in Nashville, Tennessee, Penner reminded this
year’s attendees, he spoke about telling TCA’s story, about elevating the
association’s profile and putting more value back into the hands of TCA
members.
“We spoke about becoming a louder, more unified voice and about taking
the lead and charting our own path,” Penner said during his chairman’s
address at the first general session of the convention. “It was a call to action
that challenged our members to be more active and engaged, making TCA
a stronger place that better represented each of us and our businesses. So
how did we do?”
Penner pointed to some of the successes of the past year:
• TCA put its members back behind the wheel of the truckload industry by
successfully seeding and launching its own advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.
• TCA supported in government
affairs efforts not only
through funding, but in the volunteering
of time, efforts and
the collective experiences that
our member companies bring
together.
• TCA made its first TCA/
member joint call on Washington
a great success through
active participation. TCA told
its story, painted a picture that
In his chairman’s address at the
2018 convention, Chairman Rob
Penner pointed to numerous successes
the Truckload Carriers Association
has enjoyed during the
past 12 months.
truckload is important, and that
the opinions of its members
matter.
• The association weighed in
on many issues, including ELDs,
F4A and productivity, just to
name a few, and as a result its story is being heard as TCA is already recognized
on The Hill as a credible and reliable resource and is just getting started.
“I encourage every company here to be active and involved in supporting
our advocacy efforts as we have proven this to be a difference maker,” Penner
said. “We have been invited to the dinner but we still need to earn our seat
at the table.”
Penner recalled that at last year’s convention, the association talked to its
membership about the Trucking Profitability Program.
“We promised a renewed, laser-focused approach to helping our members
achieve better business results and we are delivering on those promises,”
he said. “Benchmarking has really turned the corner and there is something
for every carrier member, large or small.”
Penner noted the association had reworked the delivery of the program,
grown the number of peer groups by three and has the horsepower to keep
growing.
“We have added services that better support our members and at the
same time, we have added a significant revenue stream to help offset the
costs of funding our association,” he said. “This is our industry’s premier
performance improvement solution and if your company is not currently
active here, you need to ask yourself why. It is without question the best
value for dollar returns that my company gets out of our TCA membership and
pays multiples on the investment every single year.”
Penner said he came to TCA as a member with a genuine interest in improving
his business.
“That has happened and that continues to happen and for that I am thankful.
I hope this happens for all of you,” he said.
Safety Awards
Two truckload carriers with outstanding safety records were presented
with the prestigious Fleet Safety Award during the banquet that concluded
the annual Truckload Carriers Association convention. Sponsored by Great
West Casualty Company, the 2017 award for the small carrier division (total
annual mileage of less than 25 million miles) was presented to Boyle Transportation
of Billerica, Massachusetts, and the award for the large carrier division
(total annual mileage of 25 million or more miles) went to Bison Transport
of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
This is Boyle Transportation’s first Fleet Safety grand prize, while it is Bison
Transport’s 10th Fleet Safety grand prize for the large-carrier category,
including its ninth in a row.
Both companies will be recognized again during TCA’s Safety & Security
Division annual meeting,
to be held June
10-12 at the Norfolk
Waterside Marriott in
Norfolk, Virginia.
“Boyle and Bison
hold their safety
programs to a higher
standard than simply
counting accidents
per mile,” said John
Lyboldt, TCA’s president.
“These fleets
truly represent a
gold standard for
developing a safety
culture that permeates
through every
employee in every
aspect of the company.
Congratulations
to Boyle and Bison!”
Garth Pitzel, right, director of safety and
driver development at Bison Transport,
accepts the National Fleet Safety Award
for the large carrier division from Patrick
Kuehl, executive vice president of Great
West Casualty Co., which sponsors the
competition. Bison has won the award
nine consecutive years
44 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018