We don’t know how the weather is where you are, but where we are, Spring ain't sprung yet! It’s still cold and snowy and the price of fuel just keeps going up.

On a better note, it’s NCAA tournament time, major league baseball is about to start and the Louisville Truck Show is coming up!

Speaking of tournament time, have you heard about Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge? All you have to do is pick a perfect tournament bracket for the upcoming 2014 tournament and Quicken Loans, along with Berkshire Hathaway, will make you a billionaire!

TCA and CarriersEdge Announce Best Fleets to Drive For
Top 20 Winners and Fleets to Watch

The results are in, and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge of Markham, Ontario, proudly announce that they have selected 20 trucking companies from across North America as the 2014 Best Fleets to Drive For. The annual survey and contest, now in its sixth year, identifies for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experiences for their drivers. This year’s winners are as follows:

• Bison Transport, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Brian Kurtz Trucking Ltd., Breslau, Ontario
• Central Oregon Trucking Company, Inc., Redmond, Oregon
• DJ Knoll Transport Ltd., Emerald Park, Saskatchewan
• Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc., Fremont, Nebraska
• FTC Transportation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Gordon Trucking, Inc., Pacific, Washington
• Grammer Industries, Inc., Grammer, Indiana
• Grand Island Express, Grand Island, Nebraska
• Halvor Lines, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
• Kriska Holdings Ltd., Prescott, Ontario
• Landstar System, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
• Load One, LLC, Taylor, Michigan
• Motor Carrier Service, Inc., Northwood, Ohio
• Paramount Freight Systems, LLC, Ft. Myers, Florida
• Prime Inc., Springfield, Missouri
• Sue Vinje Trucking, Superior, Wisconsin
• TimeLine Logistic International Ltd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Transpro Freight Systems, Ltd., Milton, Ontario
• Trimac Transportation, Calgary, Alberta

In addition, five companies have been identified as “Fleets to Watch” (honorable mentions) for demonstrating innovation in their driver programs:

• Drive Logistics, Windsor, Ontario
• Erb Group of Companies, New Hamburg, Ontario
• Roehl Transport Inc., Marshfield, Wisconsin
• Steelman Transportation, Inc., Springfield, Missouri
• Tennant Truck Lines, Inc., Colona, Illinois

The nomination process began in the fall of 2013, when company drivers and owner operators were asked to nominate carriers that operate 10 or more trucks. After confirming the validity of the nominations and the trucking companies’ desire to participate, CarriersEdge interviewed human resources representatives and executives of the nominated fleets about their corporate direction, policies, and programs. Nominated fleets were evaluated against a scoring matrix covering a variety of categories, such as:

• Total compensation package – including base pay, bonuses, vacation, and sick day allotment
• Health benefits
• Pension plans
• Professional development opportunities (training, coaching programs, etc.)
• Career path/advancement opportunities
• Commitment to employee personal growth, including work/life balance, driver family support, and employee-directed charitable contributions
• Commitment to continuous improvement, including dispute resolution processes and inclusion of driver feedback in policymaking
• Team building and driver community development activities
• Annual driver turnover rate
• Fleet safety record

A selection of each fleet’s drivers was also surveyed, with their feedback compared to management’s and incorporated into the final score. The responses were then tallied, resulting in the selection of this year’s winners and honorable mentions.

Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge, said: “The biggest trend we saw this year was a shift to mobile technology. Most companies are using smartphones and tablets to deliver information to their drivers, and some are even developing their own custom mobile apps.”

The winners represent a wide range of fleet sizes and business focus areas. The smallest fleet has 25 drivers, while the largest has more than 8,500. Chris Burruss, president of TCA, said, “Each year, I am more and more amazed at the innovative programs these fleets are implementing, regardless of their size. And several of the Best Fleet winners are also in contention for TCA’s National Fleet Safety Awards, so clearly these are not just nice places to work—they’re also safe!”

The next phase of the contest will be to announce the highest scoring fleets from each of two categories: Best Overall Fleet for Owner Operators, sponsored by Marsh, Inc., of New York, New York, and Best Overall Fleet for Company Drivers, sponsored by Bose Ride of Framingham, Massachusetts. The names will be announced at the March 25 awards ceremony during TCA’s Annual Convention at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas. Between Monday, March 17, and Friday, March 21, clues about the winners’ identities will be posted with the hashtag #BestFleets14 to TCA’s Twitter account (www.truckload.org/Twitter) and Facebook page (www.truckload.org/Facebook).

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The TruckDriver.com Valentines Day Survey is complete and it looks like there is still a little bit of romance left in the world!

Did you, or someone you know, get engaged on Valentines Day this year?

I did - 8%
Someone I know - 6%
No - 86%

Congrats to the 8 percent!

Next up is the TruckDriver.com Jackpot Survey. What would you do? 

Until next time, keep on truckin’ and please drive safely.

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