At its Annual Convention, taking place this week at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and its partner CarriersEdge announced the names of the overall winners of the 2016 Best Fleets to Drive For. FTC Transportation, Inc., of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was selected as the Best Overall Fleet for the small carrier category, an award sponsored by EpicVue, the industry leader in in-cab entertainment services for trucking fleets. Bison Transport of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was selected as the Best Overall Fleet for the large carrier category, an award sponsored by Bose Corporation, manufacturer of the award-winning Bose Ride® system for heavy-duty trucks.
Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual survey and contest that recognizes North American for-hire trucking companies providing the best workplace experiences for their drivers. To participate, fleets must be nominated by a company driver or independent contractor working with them, after which they are evaluated across a broad range of categories reflecting current best practices in human resources. The 20 top finishers are identified as Best Fleets to Drive For and then divided in half according to size. The highest scoring fleet in each category is named overall winner.
This is the fourth time that FTC Transportation, Inc., has landed a spot in the Top 20, and the first time it has been named an overall winner. It was the smallest fleet to get into the Best Fleets Top 20, demonstrating that it’s not necessary to be big in size in order to have big ideas. FTC earned top marks for its employee benefits, combining solid health insurance coverage, 401(k), and above-average vacation allowances – all things that are uncommon in a fleet of FTC’s size.
2016 marks the second time that Bison Transport has been named an overall winner of Best Fleets, and the sixth time the company has been listed in the Top 20. Bison continues to push the limits in every category evaluated for Best Fleets. Even though its size is quite large, the company still manages to keep people engaged through a variety of committees (including equipment spec’ing, workflow efficiencies, wellness, and retention and referrals) and numerous online tools.
Jane Jazrawy, chief executive officer of CarriersEdge, noted that both of this year’s overall winners are providing a winning combination of outstanding programs for their drivers, satisfaction rates above 90%, and low driver turnover under 30%. Both companies were also the 2014 grand-prize winners of TCA’s National Fleet Safety Awards.
“It’s interesting that both of our Best Fleets overall winners are also previous grand champions in the safety arena… it may well be that their safety numbers are outstanding because of all the other things that they do,” she said. “Both have taken a holistic approach to improving fleet operations and working to build a more efficient, more inclusive fleet that all drivers can benefit from. As a result, they have happier drivers, who focus on doing their jobs better, leading to better safety and more efficient operations. This, in turn, makes everyone happier… and the cycle continues.”
John Lyboldt, TCA’s president, said, “What happens in a trucking company every day is the biggest opportunity for increasing revenue and net profit. The leaders and their teams who have figured this out are examples for all of us to learn from. The Best Fleets winners raise the bar for all of us to reach for, and they provide a road map of success in building a sustainable workforce. Anyone who loves what they do knows they are valued, important, and respected. Congratulations Best Fleets.”
The Best Fleets to Drive For survey and contest was open to any fleet operating 10 trucks or more, regardless of TCA membership status. Nominated fleets were evaluated in areas like driver compensation, pension and benefits, professional development, driver and community support, and safety record.
Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For
Bay and Bay Transportation Eagan, Minnesota
Bison Transport Winnipeg, Manitoba
Boyle Transportation Billerica, Massachusetts
Central Oregon Truck Company, Inc.Redmond, Oregon
Challenger Motor Freight Inc. Cambridge, Ontario
Erb Group New Hamburg, Ontario
Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc. Fremont, Nebraska
FTC Transportation, Inc. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Grand Island Express, Inc. Grand Island, Nebraska
Halvor Lines, Inc. Superior, Wisconsin
Interstate Distributor Co. Tacoma, Washington
Kriska Holdings Ltd. Prescott, Ontario
Landstar System, Inc. Jacksonville, Florida
Melton Truck Lines, Inc. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Motor Carrier Service, LLC Northwood, Ohio
Nussbaum Transportation Hudson, Illinois
Paramount Freight Systems, LLC Ft. Myers, Florida
Prime Inc. Springfield, Missouri
TLD Logistics Services, Inc. Knoxville, Tennessee
TransPro Freight Systems, Ltd. Milton, Ontario
For more information about the Best Fleets to Drive For program, please visit www.BestFleetstoDriveFor.com. You can also follow TCA on Twitter (www.truckload.org/Twitter) or Facebook (www.truckload.org/Facebook) or search the hashtag #BestFleets2016 on social media networks.