Rocha, Bison win TCA fleet safety awards

Receiving Truckload Carriers Association’s National Fleet Safety Award were Rocha Transportation of Ceres, Calif., for truckload companies in the small carrier division and Bison Transport of Winnipeg, Manitoba, for truckload companies in the large carrier division.

The 36th annual awards, sponsored by Great West Casualty Co., were presented Tuesday night at TCA’s annual convention in Kissimmee, Fla. Another recognition ceremony will take place during TCA’s upcoming Safety & Security Division Annual Meeting May 20-22 in Norman, Okla.

The two grand prize winners were selected from among 18 division winners in the National Fleet Safety Division Awards.

At Rocha everyone, including each driver, is made aware of the costs of accidents and how each accident affects the entire operation. Funds have been budgeted for a $100,000+ driver training simulator. Last year, the company trained or retrained all of its drivers in defensive driving techniques.

Bison’s safety program “You’re Safe With Me Because…”constantly reminds employees of the company’s safety values and raises awareness about the importance of their actions. Everyone is held accountable, from management to drivers, and each member of the team is expected to share the company’s safety priorities.

Bison’s detailed computer program tracks every piece of equipment, whether owned, leased, rented, or exchanged with another carrier. It alerts technicians when repairs, service, or inspections are due. Owner-operators must provide monthly maintenance reports showing what work was performed on their vehicle, and Bison technicians can request their own inspection if they feel it is warranted.

The 2011 top divisional winners based on low accident frequency ratios per million miles are:

Division I (Less than 5 million miles)

  1. Rocha Transportation, Ceres, Calif.
  2. Art Pape Transfer Inc., Dubuque, Iowa
  3. Specialty Transport Inc., Knoxville, Tenn.

Division II (5-14.99 million miles)

  1. Southland Transportation Co., Boonville, N.C.
  2. Houff Transfer Inc., Weyers Cave, Va.
  3. Skyline Transportation Inc., Knoxville, Tenn.

Division III (15-24.99 million miles)

  1. Stagecoach Cartage & Dist. LP, El Paso, Texas
  2. Grand Island Express, Grand Island, Neb.
  3. Ace Doran Hauling & Rigging, Cincinnati, Ohio

Division IV (25-49.99 million miles)

  1. Titan Transfer Inc., Shelbyville, Tenn.
  2. Erb International, Inc., New Hamburg, Ont.
  3. N. Yanke Transfer, Saskatoon, Sask.

Division V (50-99.99 million miles)

  1. Groupe Robert Inc., Rougemont, Québec
  2. Navajo Express Inc., Denver
  3. May Trucking Co., Salem, Ore.

Division VI (100 million or more miles)

  1. Bison Transport Inc., Winnipeg, Man.
  2. Gordon Trucking Inc., Pacific, Wash.
  3. Roehl Transport Inc., Marshfield, Wis.