James Laufenberg
Top Driver
National Carriers Inc. recently announced that James Laufenberg was its Driver of the Year for 2003. Laufenberg, who lives in Liberal, Kan., has nine years in the transportation sector. He has been leased to NCI since 1999.
February Driver
Express-1 has named Ran Goff of Saginaw, Mich., as its Driver of the Month for February 2004. He has been with the company since February 2003. Goff received a personalized, embroidered Driver of the Month polo shirt and a certificate of thanks. His name also appears on a plaque in the company’s drivers’ lounge.
PTL Honorees
Paschall Truck Lines named David Molesworth as its November 2003 Company Driver of the Month and Rudy Melendez as the Owner-Operator of the Month.
Molesworth has been with PTL for 14 years of his 26-year professional driving career. He has achieved 1.5 million safe driving miles and was awarded a Kentucky Colonel Citation from the governor of Kentucky. He was also named Driver of the Month in June 2002.
Melendez has been driving for PTL for five years.
In addition to owner-operator of the month, Melendez has also achieved 600,000 safe driving miles with PTL.
CFI Drivers of the Month
Contract Freighters Inc. has named its February 2004 drivers of the month.
Company Driver of the Month was Wayne Herrington of Fort Smith, Ark., who joined CFI in 1994. Company Team Driver of the Month was Bob and Peggy Stanton of Joplin, Mo., who both joined the company in 2000. Contractor of the Month was Alvin Courte of Henderson, Texas, who joined the company in 1996.
Contractor Team of the Month went to Randy and Diana Cross of Park Hill, Okla., who both started driving for CFI in 2002.
Safety Bonuses
Baylor Trucking has 13 bonus periods during the year where drivers can earn an extra $6,000-plus for safety, mileage and following procedures. Drivers who meet those objectives for at least 10 of the 13 periods are awarded an additional $1,000 at the end of the year. Drivers who earned the additional $1,000 for safety were: Russell East, Robert Murray, Ed O’Connor, Ron Shanks, Kulwant Singh, John Bader, Dave Cardinal and Gerald Clark.
Star Drivers
Star Transportation honored 20 drivers in February with Safe Driving Awards for their ongoing commitment to safety on the road. Recognized were: Steven Peters, 10 years; Charles May, 10 years; Victor Adamkowski, nine years; MaryLou Hoffmaster, six years; Paul Hamilton, five years; John Cartas, three years; Westley Bowden, three years; Frencilo Townsend, three years; Charles Christopher, three years; Dennis Lowrance, two years; Robert Kingston, two years; Wendell Wright, two years; Larry Gattis, two years; Benny Griffin, two years; Johnny Cates, one year; James Drury, one year; David Dodge, one year; Rodney Ice, one year; Ronald Bridges, one year; and James Hurt, one year.
Million Milers
Transport America drivers recently honored for achieving 1 million or more accident-free miles: 3 million miles – Drew Mattson, Jack Adams and Lars Duckstad; 2 million miles – Billy Joe Biffle, David Peterson, Gary Somerville and Ronald Shrout; 1 million miles – Alexander Schudar, Alvin Webb, Brian Tamm, Charles Montgomery, Cheryl Dechert, David Barnes, David Grundmeier, David Hanson, Dean Swenson, Dennis Meyers, Donald Dunmire, Donna Bjorklund, Earl Dechert, F. Lee Whipple, Fabian Buss, Fred Lerch, Gene Adamski, Greg Kastenschmidt, Henry Cooper, Herbert Windl, Ival Smith, Jacqueline Folsom, James Dunn, James Muse, James Yost, Jay Schwake, Jeff Eggenspiller, Jerry Lee Butts, Kathleen Keath, Kenneth Dean, Kenneth Schafer, Larry Prietz, Lawrence Powers, Lucinda Schudar, Mary Edmonds, Melvin Roering, Michael Liesemeyer, Peggy Shrout, Peter Clemmerson, Phillip Granger, Ralph Rempfer, Raymond Hart, Richard Bjorklund, Richard Grondahl, Rick Kost, Robert Helland, Robert Hug, Rodger Wood, Roger Williams, Ron Greenwell, Ronald Hesebeck, Samuel Tetrick, Stanley Rokosz, Steven Wilson, Thomas Canilla, Thomas Teske, Walter Cross, William Bell, William Edmonds, William Foskett and William Holly.
Melton Honored
The Oklahoma Trucking Association awarded Melton Truck Lines first place in Highway Safety for irregular route fleets with up to 5 million miles driven in Oklahoma at its annual banquet in February. The judging was based on miles driven and number of DOT recordable accidents. Melton’s winning accident frequency rate was 0.55 per million miles.
In 2002, Melton placed third in the flatbed irregular route division with a 0.62 accident frequency rate.
Pay Raise
Star Transportation recently implemented a new pay increase of 32 cents per mile for company drivers with one year of experience. Star Transportation is an irregular route dry van carrier headquartered in Nashville, TN. It has terminals in Memphis and Jackson, Miss., with drop yards in Knoxville, Tenn., Bristol, Tenn., and Atlanta.
Old Dominion Expands
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. has spent the last few months moving and expanding. The LTL carrier’s Harrisburg, Pa., service center will move to Carlisle, Pa., and the company opened a new service center in Sarasota, Fla. Another new facility is projected to open in Springfield, Mo. The new locations will boast more square footage and more job opportunities.
