Fleet Insider

CalArk Honors 3-Million-Miler
CalArk International Inc. recently honored Johnny Thompson of El Dorado, Ark., for logging 3 million accident-free miles. Dennis Hilton, CalArk safety director, presented Thompson with a plaque and a monetary award.

Thompson has been with CalArk for 20 years and is considered a mentor by other drivers and office employees. He is always assisting others while on the road, offering help to stranded motorists or purchasing a meal for those in need. CalArk considers Thompson to be a person of the highest integrity and is honored to have him as a part of the company.


Transport America December Drivers
Minnesota-based truckload carrier Transport America recently announced its December Drivers of the Month for 2007. Each driver is recognized for his or her outstanding service to Transport America and the company’s customers.

Company drivers selected for December were Brad Clevenger, who has been with Transport America for three years; Kirk Plankey, with the company for six years; and Palmer Boyd, with the company for one year.

Contractors selected for December were Gery Schonhardt, who has been with Transport America for 26 years; Franklin Jones, with the company for three months; and Margaret Debra, with the company for five years.


Central Freight Honors Safe Drivers
Central Freight Lines company driver Marvin Marshall recently achieved a career milestone when he was recognized for 15 years of safe driving with the company. Marshall, a resident of Dallas, received a ring as well as a silver/gold award from the company for his accomplishment.

Other drivers recently recognized by Central Freight Lines, who received a calculator, certificates, and folders for achieving four years of safe and accident-free driving, included Jackie Adams, Jeremiah Hill, Jimmy W. Mallonce Sr., Simon Cisneroe and Michael T. Miller.

Drivers receiving certificates and folders for achieving three years of safe and accident-free driving included John L. Lindsey, Michael B. O’Dea, Donna L. Braden, John W. Beene and Rogelio Villanueva.

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Drivers receiving certificates and folders for achieving two years of safe and accident-free driving included Rocky T. Hinojosa, Carnlius E. Granville, Thomas P. Kellogg and Clarence T. Harris.

Drivers receiving certificates and folders for achieving one year of safe and accident-free driving included Richard D. Ballard, Gerardo Becerra, Jose A. Becerra, Scott T. McDonald, Eddie L. Jones, Theodore J. Vanburgh, Kurt J. Stump, Isaiah D. Tunson and Jose T. Luna-Barroso.


Million-Mile Landstar Drivers
Landstar System has recognized 116 men and women for their safety records and professionalism behind the wheel.

Collectively, these 116 owner-operators have safely driven a total of 126 million miles – a distance that would cover the 4 million miles of public roads in the United States nearly 32 times. On average, according to Landstar, it takes a truck operator 10 years to travel a million miles. The distance would take the typical driver of a passenger vehicle 67 years – around the time of their 83rd birthday – to complete.

Among the group, team drivers Terry and Charlene Hemmingson of Sutton, Neb., are the first husband-and-wife team to be inducted as Landstar Million Mile Safe Drivers in the same year.

The complete list includes (by state):

Alabama: Lynn Cabaniss, Hazel Green; George Castle, Eclectic; Ralph Limbaugh, Irondale; Kenneth Quick, Oxford; James Sanders, Bay Minette; David Zelsdorf, Boaz.

Arizona: Albert Louis Bartlett, Oracle; Benjamin Heddendorp, Picacho; Patricia Humphrey, Tucson; James Johnson, Tonopah; Anthony Pineda, Phoenix.

Arkansas: James Short, Bella Vista.

California: Patrick Margis, Hemet; Jose Antonio Tovar, Long Beach.

Florida: Donald Drainville, Bunnell; John Hickson Jr., Miami; Richard Reese, Gainesville; Richard Vlasz, Palmetto.

Georgia: Johnny King, Waco; Anthony Nelson, Stone Mountain.

Iowa: Tommy Lester Ritter, Belle Plaine.

Illinois: Verne Daves, New Windsor (2 Million Miler); James Heilig, Antioch; Gerald Norvell, Rockford.

Indiana: Roy Baker, Greensburg; Norman Gibson, Greenfield; Carl Mason, Gaston; William Schroeder, Trafalgar; Steven Sims, Fountain City.

Kansas: Larry Kogl, Atwood.

Kentucky: Stephen Burgess, Hopkinsville; James Leigh, Columbia; Michael Sills, Springfield; Jeffrey Whitt, Somerset.

Maine: Raymond Finlay, Saco; Scott Hayes, Greenwood; Tom Johnston, Blaine; Joseph Westleigh, Woolwich.

Massachusetts: Peter Wood, Shelburne Falls.

Michigan: Larry Beldock, Imlay City; William Brubacher, Brutus; Rodney Kuhns, Newaygo; Al Sidell, Monroe; Edward Siders, Romulus; Thomas Simmons, Utica.

Minnesota: Bradley Enter, Nicollet.

Mississippi: Thomas Kyle, Columbus.

Missouri: Lonnie Daniels, Mountain View; Mitchell Daniels, Pomona (2 Million Miler); James Holland, Fulton; Floyd David Lyons, Fulton; Darrel Sieben, Lampe (2 Million Miler); Brian Simpson, Alton; Leonard Thomas, Eldridge.

Montana: Keith McClain, Lolo (2 Million Miler).

Nebraska: Charlene Hemmingson, Sutton; Terry Hemmingson, Sutton; Jack Millard, Grand Island.

Nevada: William Ruch, Las Vegas.

New Hampshire: Mark Caine, Bristol.

New Jersey: Terrance Lang, Wanamassa; Louis Toth, Egg Habor Township.

New York: Harry Brawdy, North Collins (2 Million Miler); Dennis Capria, Brewerton; Gerald Jeffords, Ransomville; Robert Krencik, North Collins; Robert Sanko, Liverpool.

North Carolina: Willie Branch, Watha; Dennis Dishner, Asheville; James Griffin, King; Charles Noon, Stony Point; Earl Spradling, Albemarle.

Ohio: John Adams, New Concord; Ronald Fekety, Boardman; William D. Harrier, Canal Winchester (2 Million Miler); Steven Miller, Dayton; John Niese, Ottawa; Altha Robinson, Bedford Heights; Dan Stockwell, Cable.

Oklahoma: Bob Hinchey, Bennington; Joseph Kraft, Muskogee.

Oregon: Richard Peine, Irrigon.

Pennsylvania: Samuel Betlyon, Burnham (2 Million Miler); Glenn Englert, Polk; Christopher Long, New Florence.

South Carolina: George Phillips, Florence; Perry Stephens, Columbia.

South Dakota: Gene Roth, New Effington (2 Million Miler).

Tennessee: Raymond Bauer, McMinnville; James Brown, Kingsport; Bobby Jack Johnson, Mountain City; Preston Limbaugh, Lawrenceburg; John Wayne McCrary, Pulaski (2 Million Miler).

Texas: Larry Allison, Amarillo (2 Million Miler); James Basham, Livingston; David Chapman, Carlton; David Chavis, Red Oak; Gene Autry Crawford, Killeen; John Hancock, Buna; James Ovens, Cibolo; William Stewart, Roanoke; Benjamin Taylor, Van Horn; Merril Van Der Schaaf, Pattonville.

Utah: Dan Charles Leidal, East Carbon; William Mitchell, West Jordan; Garland Duane Porter, East Carbon.

Virginia: Frankie Hill, Galax; Lewis Jackson, Keysville; Walter Thompson, Evergreen.
West Virginia: Jimmy Lee Terry, Princeton.

Wisconsin: Ronald Roth, Reeseville.

Canada: Alan Gosnell, Calgary, Alberta; Paul Fontaine, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Roman Markiewicz, Mississauga, Ontario; John McKenzie, Harcourt, Ontario; Abram Peters, London, Ontario.


New Penn Recognizes Drivers
New Penn recently recognized 21 drivers for achieving 1 million miles without a preventable accident. Honored drivers include Richard Alsfeld, Peter Carey, Charles Cherrick, Kenneth Davis, Eric Doughty, David Eastep, Arthur Erickson, Marlin Field, Derek Giusto, Tom Hollister, John Hrycko, Angelo Lepre, Walter Locke, Steven Miller, Dennis Parmer, Marc Patenaude, Clinton Porter, Brian Ruger, David Schlegel, Glenn Stricker and Donald Wood.


KLLM New Per Diem Plan
KLLM Transport Services has announced a new per diem allowance program available to over-the-road, regional and dedicated company drivers. KLLM says the program is in response to requests and opinions submitted through its driver suggestion line.

Jim Richards, chief operating officer at the Richland, Miss.-based company, reviews driver suggestions each week. “We’d been receiving numerous suggestions about per diem pay,” Richards says. “So we worked very closely with the IRS and our accounting audit group to increase drivers’ take-home pay.”

With per diem, the Internal Revenue Service allows a portion of pay to be reclassified as nontaxable to help offset “road living expenses” incurred away from home. For each travel day worked, $52 of gross earnings may be reclassified as nontaxable per diem. Drivers still receive all earnings, but taxable income is lowered; with fewer taxes to pay out, drivers’ take-home pay increases.

Before putting the new program into effect, KLLM sought the opinion of its drivers once more. “We were able to make adjustments before the program actually began, based on drivers’ suggestions,” Richards says. “Because we discovered not everyone wanted to participate, we made the per diem allowance optional.”

The new program went into effect Feb. 5.

The Business Manual for Owner-Operators
Overdrive editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the 2022 edition of Partners in Business.
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