Top Achievers
Epes Transport System Inc. honored its annual Top Achievers. The award recognizes Epes drivers who provided flawless service and remained accident-free throughout the past year.
More than 300 drivers were recognized. Top Achievers with 10 or more consecutive years are: 10-year recipients Myron Leath, Edward Schnell, James Shaver, Keith Spurgeon, Joseph White, Hoyt Whitmore and William Wilbourne; 11-year recipients Jimmy Earlywine, Anthony Feener, Dennis McGheeney, Rodgers Mitchell, Marvin Tillman and Charlie Valentine; and 12-year recipients Bobby Fowler, Bradley Parrish and Wayne Prewer.
June Trucker Buddy of the Month
Third graders at Delhi Elementary School in Delhi, Iowa, have a partner in education and a role model in truck driver Beth Eder, who has been named the June 2007 Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month.
Eder of Park Falls, Wis., is an owner-operator leased to Marten Transport. She began volunteering with Trucker Buddy in 2001 and now goes beyond the basic requirements of the program, which include sending a postcard once a week to the classroom.
To supplement classroom geography lessons, Eder sends items from around the United States that represent the different parts of the country – tumbleweed from Texas, cotton from Alabama, cactus seeds from Arizona and chopsticks from Chinatown in San Francisco.
Eder also takes pictures of herself and her dog, Teddi, next to notable monuments and landmarks. Eder also reads to the students by recording herself reading a children’s book.
Boyd Bros. Opens New Terminal
With expansion of its flatbed business in the Midwest, Boyd Bros. Transportation has opened a Cincinnati terminal. The terminal includes facilities for maintenance and driver orientation. The Clayton, Ala.-based carrier also operates a terminal in Birmingham, Ala.
Owner-Operator Wins Volvo Grand Prize
Owner-operator Michael Hickox is the grand prize winner of Volvo Trucks North America’s “When You Know, You Win” promotion. He won $10,000, a set of Michelin premium tires and matching Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels.
Hickox, of Painted Post, N.Y., runs shipping containers several times a week between Newark, N.J., and upstate New York.
During the six weeks the promotion ran, other drivers were chosen for a range of daily prizes, including a pair of Michelin tires and Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels, $100 cash prizes, Volvo Drivers jackets, Volvo watches and a Volvo VT 880 prize pack that included a VT 880 hat, jacket and scale model VT 880 tractor.
Drivers Advance to Nationals
Transport America: Seven drivers from Transport America recently competed in the 2007 Minnesota Truck Driving Championships, with one driver from the company winning first place in his division and advancing to the national championships.
Transport America’s Greg Payne took top honors in the sleeper berth class. He advances to the National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis this month, representing TA and the state of Minnesota for his classification.
Among the top finishers from TA were Keith Loging, who finished second in the five-axle class, and Alan Baumann, who finished third in the tanker class. Also representing TA at the MTDC were Keith McMurray in the three-axle class, Richard Grondahl in the four-axle class, Richard Zentner in the sleeper berth class and Joe Muscha in the straight truck class.
CFI: CFI driver Stephan Kluge of Beloit, Wis., took top honors in the sleeper berth class at the 2007 Missouri Motor Carriers Association Truck Driving Championships to advance to the national championships.
Kluge has been with CFI for more than two years. He has competed at nationals for four years.
CFI had a total of 13 competitors, four of which placed in the top five spots. In addition to Kluge’s first place finish, Tom Frazier finished second, Greg Shaw finished fourth and John Kelly finished fifth.
Top Guns
Minnesota-based Transport America recently recognized its 2006 Top Gun Award winners, presented to the three top-performing driver instructors.
The 2006 recipients were: Dan Walsh, a three-year employee based in Pennsylvania; Mike Zerkle, a nine-year employee based in Ohio; and Steve Stearns, a 14-year employee based in Wisconsin, with his last 10 years as a driver instructor.
To be considered for this award, each instructor had to have successfully trained at least six students, and had no accidents, tickets or service failures.
TMC First Quarter Driver
TMC Transportation honored driver Dan Erickson with its Driver of the First Quarter Award for 2007. Erickson, a 34-year road veteran, has been with TMC since 1986.
Criteria for Driver of the Quarter recognition includes years of service with the company, safe driving record, excellent customer service, professionalism and overall quality performance.
Expanded Headquarters
Trans-United Inc. recently celebrated the grand opening of its new 30,000-square-foot expanded headquarters in Burns Harbor, Ind.
The facility boasts a larger operations center as well as a workout room, full kitchen, conference room, orientation/training room and drivers’ lounge with men’s and women’s showers, Internet access, flat-screen satellite television, laundry facilities, an outdoor grill and more.
The new terminal also has a new three-bay maintenance facility with room to service six trucks, a heated 88-foot drive-through wash bay available to all drivers at no charge and a separate trailer fabrication shop.
CFI Drivers of the Month
CFI recently announced its Drivers of the Month for May 2007.
Company Driver of the Month was Brian Courtney of El Paso, Texas. He has been with CFI since 2006.
Company Team of the Month was Deverne Hunt and Carole Smith of Joplin, Mo., who have both been with the company since 1992.
Contractor Driver of the Month was Jim Cory of Joplin, Mo., who joined CFI in 1979 and has more than 2.5 million miles.
Contractor Team of the Month was John and Sherry Hufford of Bell, Fla., who both joined the company in 2000.
