Fleet Focus

West Side Transport Driver of the Year honored

Will Parrish was selected as the 2009 Driver of the Year for West Side Transport, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Parrish is eligible to compete in the Iowa Motor Carriers Championship in 2011. The yearly award is drawn from the dry van carrier’s Drivers of the Month from 2009. Other than Parrish, who was honored in July, they are Tom Jolly (January), Mariane Foerst (February), Charles Hollon (March), Gary Peldo (April), Robert Brislin and Christopher Griffin (May), Jim Turman (June), Kenneth Robert (August), Dana Truby (September), Mark Bogle (October), Ed Redding (November) and Paul Mountain (December).


PAY & GROWTH

Decker Truck Line raised its pay rates from a range of 34-36 cents per mile to a range of 37-39 cents per mile for all new and current drivers, effective mid-February. . . . Shreveport, La.-based Tango Transport LLC will add 200 jobs this year, most of which will be commercial truck driver jobs, the carrier announced.


HONORS

Dart Transit Co., based in Eagan, Minn., named owner-operators Tom Odoan and George Mowry as the dry van carrier’s February Contractors of the Month. . . . Fort Dodge, Iowa-based Decker Truck Line Inc. named January Drivers of the Month, who are Jim Jarrett in the flatbed division and Dennis Nelson in the reefer/van division. . . . Gentle Giant Moving Co., based in Somerville, Mass., has been named the nation’s top independent moving company for 2009 by the American Moving & Storage Association. . . . Marten Transport, based in Mondovi, Wis., honored Brian Bomberger and John Sloboda Jr. for safely driving 2 million miles and Bob McKay and Neil Meyer for the safe driving of 3 million miles. n


HONORS

Atlanta-based Bennett Motor Express selected owner-operators Charles Hacker and Charles Surber as the specialized freight transport carrier’s 2009 Drivers of the Year, in the general freight and heavy haul categories, respectively. . . . Decker Truck Line Inc., based in Fort Dodge, Iowa, named Jim Rowe in the flatbed division and Mario Rosemond in the reefer/van division as the fleet’s February Drivers of the Month. . . . Hill Bros. Transportation, based in Omaha, Neb., was chosen as ConAgra Foods’ 2009 Raw Material and Packaging Inbound Temperature Controlled Carrier of the Year. . . . Security Magazine ranked Miami-based Ryder Systems first in best security practice in the transportation, logistics, supply chain and warehousing sector for 2009.

 

EXPANSIONS

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Meridian Moving Systems, based in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., has joined Atlas Van Lines, headquartered in Evansville, Ind. Meridian has 38,000 square feet of storage space. . . . Thomasville, N.C.-based less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. opened a new 160,000 sq.-ft. facility that will headquarter its warehousing and distribution services division at 100 Don Truell Lane in Thomasville. n


TCA names safety winners

Erb International Inc., based in New Hamburg, Ontario, and Roehl Transport Inc., based in Marshfield, Wis., won grand prizes for the small and large carrier divisions, respectively, in the Truckload Carriers Association National Fleet Safety contest. The winners were chosen from among 18 division winners.