TLA51_AllPages

CARGO TRANSPORTERS, OUTLET CENTER HONORED FOR
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE INITIATIVE
SAFETY AWARDS, FROM PAGE 42
TCA Immediate Past Chairman Dennis Dellinger, center, received a “2020 Whistle Stop Award”
during the September 26 Communications & Image Committee Meeting for Cargo Transporters,
Inc.’s efforts in a successful event last November. Pictured, from left are Committee Vice Chair
Lisa Spangenberg, Dellinger, and Committee Immediate Past Chair Brenda Dittmer.
Cargo Transporters, Inc., of Claremont, North Carolina, and Asheville
Outlets of Asheville, North Carolina, were recognized for their contributions
to the 2020 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative during TCA’s annual
convention — Truckload 2021: Las Vegas.
A “2020 Whistle Stop Award” was presented to Cargo Transporter,
Inc.’s President and CEO and TCA’s Immediate Past Chairman Dennis Dellinger,
as well as Asheville Outlets’ General Manager Miranda Bowman and
Specialty Leasing Manager/Marketing Assistant Megan Thorp, for planning
and co-hosting TCA’s whistle stop.
More than 500 people attended the free public event on November 17,
2020, at the Asheville Outlets, located off Interstate 26.
“It was our honor to host a piece of history right here in our backyard,”
shared Dellinger. “This program shines a bright spotlight on the truckload
industry and how essential we are, from the professional truck drivers behind
the wheel to the gift that was delivered to the nation’s capital. The
memories will last a lifetime.”
“While gearing up for the busiest time of the year, hosting the U.S.
Capitol Christmas Tree was an amazing experience,” shared Bowman.
“Despite COVID-19, we had a great turnout of community members, and
by offering a drive-thru experience, we were able to ensure the comfort of
everyone involved.”
“The People’s Tree,” a 55-foot-tall Engelmann Spruce, was harvested
from the Uncompahgre National Forest in Colorado and traveled nearly
2,000 miles to its destination on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington,
DC. The 2020 journey included nearly a dozen outdoor community
celebrations, including the Asheville whistle stop.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative is a 50-year tradition in which
one of the country’s 155 national forests provides a tree for holiday season.
The project is made possible with support from partners including nonprofit
Choose Outdoors, along with cash and in-kind contributions from
companies large and small, and volunteers locally and across America.
“The annual journey is only possible with the help of strong community
partnerships throughout Colorado and beyond state lines,” said Choose
Outdoors President Bruce Ward. “We’re grateful for the time and resources
TCA provided to help make this the best year yet.”
At the Asheville whistle stop, complimentary bags containing hand
sanitizer and a personal marker to sign the tree’s banner were distributed
to attendees. Other features included live remote broadcasts with iHeart
Media’s 99.9 KISS Country, 104.3 STAR, and 570 WWNC; a cocoa station;
yard games by ITeam Games; a TapSnap photobooth sponsored by
Ingles Markets; a toy drive benefiting Eblen Charities; food and beverages
by Chick-fil-A and Sierra Nevada; and a special appearance by Santa Claus.
The Six Rivers National Forest in California will provide the 2021 U.S.
Capitol Christmas Tree, which will be transported by truckload carrier System
Transport, based in Bloomington, California.
For more information about the initiative, visit capitolchristmastree.
com. View photos and updates from Truckload 2021: Las Vegas by following
the hashtag #2021TCA on social media networks, or access TCA’s
event album at truckload.org/Flickr.
carriers proudly demonstrated that safety and concern for others on the
highways always come first. FTC and Bison are very deserving of the
Grand Prize, and we thank them for setting such a great example for the
rest of the industry.”
To be eligible for the TCA Fleet Safety Award Grand Prize, fleets must
first submit their accident frequency ratio per million miles driven; the
three carriers with the lowest ratios are then identified as the winners
for each of six mileage-based divisions. These carriers undergo an audit
by independent experts to ensure the accuracy of their results. TCA announced
the names of the division winners in January 2021 and invited
them to submit further documentation about their overall safety programs,
both on and off the highway, to be eligible for the Grand Prize.
After review by a diverse industry panel of judges, the winning companies
were deemed to have best demonstrated their commitment to improving
safety on North America’s highways.
The entry period for the 2021 Fleet Safety Awards is open until
November 1. To learn more visit truckload.org/fleet-safety.
Great West Casualty Company’s Steve Ponder, left, presents FTC Transportation’s Greg Garen
with the fleet safety Grand Prize for the small carrier division. FTC Transportation is a threetime
winner of the Grand Prize.
TCA NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 WWW.TRUCKLOAD.ORG | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 43