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TCA names safest fleets
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The grand prize winners of the 2015 National Fleet Safety Awards were revealed at the TCA Annual Awards Banquet in Las Vegas March 8 and it was Canada’s Bison Transport tak- ing top honours in the large fleet category.
The awards honour trucking com- panies that demonstrate an unri- valled commitment to safety.
Divisional winners were selected earlier in the year and were divid- ed into six categories based on how many miles each fleet drove. Win- ners were selected based on their accident frequency per million miles driven.
Division winners were then invit- ed to compete for one of two grand prizes (one for carriers with total annual mileage less than 25 million miles and one for mileage more than 25 million miles).
For the sixth consecutive year, Bi- son Transport won the grand prize for the large carrier division.
In total, Bison has won the Nation- al Fleet Safety Award nine times.
“Our mission is to make sure that every one of our drivers makes it home safely each and every time,” said Rob Penner of Bison, who ac- cepted the award.
FTC Transportation took home the grand prize in the small carrier divi- sion for the second year in a row.
TRUCK NEWS
April 2016
Bison named best overall large fleet to drive for
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
CarriersEdge and the Truckload Car- riers Association (TCA) revealed the winners of the best overall fleets to drive for, in both the large and small carrier categories at the TCA annual convention in Las Vegas March 8.
The best overall large fleet winner was Canada’s own Bison Transport of Winnipeg, Man. There to accept the award, sponsored by Bose, on behalf of the company was Garth Pitzel, di-
rector of safety and driver develop- ment for Bison.
“On behalf of all of our employ-
ees and contractors at Bison, I’d like to thank the TCA and the Best Fleets to Drive For sponsors,” he said. “And
I certainly want to recognize Car- riersEdge for their involvement and commitment in this important indus- try program. At Bison we never create a program to be recognized, we create it to improve the lives of our profes- sional drivers. What’s most rewarding is it started with a driver nominating Bison and it was validated by our pro- fessional drivers.”
According to CarriersEdge, Bison won the overall award because of its outstanding range of driver programs, stellar safety performance and low an- nual driver turnover.
This year marks the second time Bi- son has been named an overall win- ner of Best Fleets and the sixth time it has been listed among the Best Fleets Top20.
FTC Transportation of Oklahoma City, Okl., took home the title of best overall fleet in the small carrier cat- egory. EpicVue sponsored the small fleet category award.
Jane Jazrawy, CEO of CarriersEdge, explained the significance of the Best Fleets to Drive For program at the TCA convention.
“This year’s best fleets provide out- standing experiences for their drivers across a variety of categories. Whether it’s embracing new technologies or pay models, these fleets are finding new
ways to push the boundaries,” she said. She noted that both of this year’s
overall winners are providing a win- ning combination of outstanding pro- grams for their drivers, satisfaction rates above 90%, and low driver turn- over of less than 30%.
Both companies were also 2014 grand prize winners of TCA’s National Fleet Safety Awards (and as was later revealed at the conference, repeated as winners of those same awards this year).
“It’s interesting that both of
our Best Fleets overall winners are also previous grand champions in the safety arena...it may well be that their safety numbers are outstanding be- cause of all the other things that they do,” Jazrawy said.
“Both have taken a holistic ap- proach to improving fleet operations and working to build a more efficient, more inclusive fleet that all drivers can benefit from. As a result, they have happier drivers, who focus on doing their jobs better, leading to bet- ter safety and more efficient opera- tions. This, in turn, makes everyone happier, and the cycle continues.”
This was the second portion of the Best Fleets to Drive For awards. Car- riersEdge revealed the Top 20 best fleets earlier this year. Canadian fleets in the Top 20 included: Bison; Chal- lenger Motor Freight; Erb Group; Kris- ka Holdings; and TransPro Freight Systems. Trimac Transportation in Calgary, Alta. was named a Fleet to Watch.
Trimac feels
impact of
western
slowdown
CALGARY, ALBERTA
The slowdown in oil and gas drilling activity in Western Canada during the fourth quarter resulted in a decline of revenue for Trimac, but the compa- ny has reduced its debt, maintained its average fleet age and has grown its revenue in Eastern Canada.
Operating earnings decreased $1.5 million in the fourth quarter.
The company says it reduced ad- ministrative costs by $2.2 million and reduced its debt by $10.3 million to $82.8 million.
It decreased capital expenditures by 40.5%, while still maintaining its aver- age fleet age.
“The economic slowdown contin- ued to negatively impact all of our segments in the fourth quarter with a 9.3% decrease in revenue and re- duced income before income tax expense of 16.7%. However, from a balance sheet perspective, Trimac reduced its long-term debt by $10.3 million and increased working capi- tal $6.9 million despite the revenue shortfalls,” said CEO Matt Faure.
“This was the direct result of the continued focus on operational ex- cellence, which resulted in lower ad- ministration costs, reduced operating equipment and improved utilization. We finished the year with a strong balance sheet and earnings slightly below prior year despite a 5.1% de- crease in revenue. The cost controls and process improvements imple- mented will allow us to continue low- ering operating costs as we compete in the volatile markets across western Canada in 2016.”
Trimac is projecting demand for transportation services to remain rela- tively flat or slightly lower for 2016 and is not anticipating any real growth from customers in resource-based industries.
It noted the weak Canadian dollar may boost transportation revenue for some commodities it hauls in Eastern Canada, as exports increased during the last half of 2015.
The company says 2016 will be an- other challenging year, and it will con- tinue to remain diligent in managing costs while looking to achieve growth in segments where economic activity is improving.
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