Fleet Focus

First Guard announces safety award winners

First Guard Insurance Co., based in Venice, Fla., awarded its 2010 fleet safety honors to Baggett Transportation Co. (Birmingham, Ala.), Butler Trucking Co. (Woodland, Pa.); Schwend Inc. (Dade City, Fla.); and Turner Brothers Trucking (Oklahoma City, Okla.). The four owner-operator fleets won the awards based on claims experience and commitment to safety.


Honors

Averitt Express, based in Cookeville, Tenn., awarded trucker Marty Robbins a 2010 Ford F-150 4-by-4 pickup as the grand prize for a contest promoting fuel conservation… Jacksonville, Ill.-based Landes Trucking awarded $1,000 to Missy Hall for 10 consecutive years of safe driving with the fleet… Prime Inc., based in Springfield, Mo., honored October Drivers of the Month: for the refrigerated division, contractor Thomas Jones, company driver Christopher Pope, and team drivers Richard Swazer and Darrin Dugan; in the flatbed division, contractor Robert Saling and company driver Troy Mowery; and in the tanker division, contractor Brian Morrison and company driver Nicholas Hennigh.


PAY

Prime Inc. increased its tanker driver starting pay to 41 cents per mile.

EXPANSIONS

CRST Malone, a flatbed carrier based in Birmingham, Ala., opened a terminal in Middletown, Ohio, at 4708 Oxford Station Road… Miami-based Ryder System Inc. purchased Scully Cos., a transportation and distribution services group based in Fontana, Calif. … Eagan, Minn.-based Transport America bought Southern Cal Transport, based in Birmingham, Ala.