Paramount top carrier for owner-operators

Paramount Freight Systems of Ft. Myers, Fla., was named today as the Best Fleet for Owner-Operators in the contest managed by the Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge.

Paramount won for the second year in a row, TCA announced at its annual convention. Motor Carrier Service Inc. of Northwood, Ohio, was selected as the Best Fleet for Company Drivers, sponsored by Marsh Canada, Ltd.

All-owner-operator Paramount maintains a committee of drivers who provide their input on company policies and procedures. It also uses a “buddy program” to pair experienced contractors with those just starting out. Both programs are fairly common in carriers that employ company drivers, but are somewhat unusual for an all-owner-operator fleet.

Paramount has been reaching out to new drivers through social media. The company says it has hired 25 new owner operators as a direct result of its social media posts.

Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge, said, “Both of this year’s overall winners are fairly small fleets of under 200 drivers each, yet they act like ‘big companies’ in terms of their driver outreach efforts, committees and programs.

Gary Salisbury, outgoing chairman of TCA and president and CEO of Fikes Truck Line Inc., said, “Motor Carrier Service Inc. and Paramount Freight Systems dispel the myth that small companies can’t compete with the big guys. No matter what your size, you can still create an outstanding work environment for your people.” 

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