FleetOwner is seeking nominations for its annual Private Fleet of the Year Awards, which will be presented at the 2022 National Private Truck Council show this April in Cincinnati.
FleetOwner editors select winners of the annual awards based on private fleets’ accomplishments, safety records, technology adoption, community outreach, and other factors. Private fleets of all sizes are eligible to nominate themselves or be nominated by a driver, customer, or other partners. It’s all about appreciating excellence in trucking regardless of the size or the duty cycle of the vehicles involved and how that excellence helps keep the nation rolling forward.
Details: Contest entry form and rules.
Recent winners include Dot Transportation, Tyson Foods, Safelite, and Frito-Lay. Along with a top winner, FleetOwner will honor two other fleets as Private Fleet of the Year finalists during an awards ceremony on the final day of NPTC’s 2022 conference and expo. All honored fleets also will be featured in the June 2022 edition of FleetOwner magazine and at FleetOwner.com.
“After operating successfully under incredible constraints for nearly two years in a COVID-19 environment, private fleets have crossed a new threshold of justification,” Gary Petty, NPTC’s president and CEO, told FleetOwner. “With unprecedentedly higher costs and widespread capacity limitations now pretty much the norm in the outside carrier market, private fleets are more than a competitive advantage. They are now viewed as essential and necessary ‘safe harbors’ to ensure products from the parent company are delivered safely, dependably, and in a cost-effective manner.”
Petty added that NPTC member fleets are “energized and optimistic about bringing even further value to their private fleets in 2022. They offer the highest pay, the most generous benefits, and overall best jobs in the industry. They are the preferred employers of choice. Recruiting remains a challenge for everyone, but private fleets have a tremendous competitive advantage in finding and keeping the best available drivers.”
See also: Private fleets value customer service, stability during unstable times
NPTC returns to downtown Cincinnati this spring for its 2022 Education Management Conference and Exhibition at the historic Hilton Netherland Plaza from April 10-12. The show also coincides with the annual release of the FleetOwner 500: Top Private Fleets, which recognizes the largest of the more than 200,000 companies operating private fleets in the U.S.
To enter the 2022 FleetOwner Private Fleet of the Year contest, fill out this online entry form by Feb. 25, 2022. There is no entry fee. Entries will be judged on a private fleet’s operation objectives as it relates to safety culture, performance metrics, community outreach, environmental initiatives, and how the fleet has overcome any challenges over the past year. All the rules are listed in the survey link below.
“Corporate commitments are typically significant and sustaining for the long term,” Petty noted. “Private fleets invest heavily in top professional management teams, drivers, equipment, and active safety technologies. More than three-fourths of private fleets operate as cost centers. Premium customer service—not profit—is the primary focus and purpose. The payoff is extraordinary. Drivers stay with their companies for more than 10 years, annual turnover averages 15%, and private fleets are three times safer than the general trucking industry, per FMCSA. A great majority of private fleets plan to grow their driver teams and equipment capacities in 2022 and beyond.
Link: Contest entry form and rules.
