This week in trucking is all about honoring the good and fighting back against the bad. Check out the details in this week’s Five Good Things.
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800 students served through ‘Operation Warm'
Entergy Arkansas and the Little Rock International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) partnered again this year for “Operation Warm,” donating coats to hundreds of students in the Little Rock School District.
Operation Warm is a national nonprofit that manufactures high-quality coats and shoes for children in need. Since 1998, the organization has provided 5 million coats to kids in need across the U.S.
With the support of a $10,000 grant from Entergy Arkansas and payroll-deduction contributions from members of IAFF Local 34, firefighters purchased 800 new coats for children at Brady and Mabelvale Elementary Schools.
“While Entergy Arkansas supports Operation Warm with funding and volunteers, the Little Rock Fire Fighters Union 34 members make individual donations and spearhead the effort by contacting the schools to determine the number of coats needed, the sizes, and gender of the students, ordering the coats, and organizing them for delivery,” said Laura Landreaux, Entergy Arkansas president and CEO.
“Our charitable foundation works with partners year-round and across the state to better our communities through grants and volunteerism, and this event is one of our favorites each year,” she continued. “’We Power Life’ is more than just about providing electricity; we make it a part of our company’s culture to support the communities we serve, which is also where we live, work, raise our families, and more. Helping meet the needs of children and showing how much we care about their well-being helps them grow as adults into strong, healthy, community leaders. It’s truly an honor and a joy to be part of this effort.”
18 TCA member carriers announced as division winners
The Truckload Carriers Association, along with presenting sponsor Great West Casualty Company and supporting sponsor Assured Partners, recently announced the 18 division winners in the 48th Annual TCA Fleet Safety Awards competition.
These yearly awards recognize truckload carriers that exhibit dedication to safety by achieving the lowest accident frequency ratios per million miles within six mileage-based divisions.
“The submissions for this year’s Fleet Safety Awards were quite impressive, and we are proud of our members who invest in safety technology and training to enhance safety on our nation’s roads,” said Jim Ward, TCA president. “I look forward to sharing the success of these 18 carriers in March at TCA’s Annual Convention.
The 18 division winners are now invited to compete for one of two grand prizes—one for carriers with a total annual mileage of less than 25 million miles, and the other for carriers with mileage greater than 25 million miles. Grand prize winners will be announced at Truckload 2024 in Nashville, set for March 23-26 at the Gaylord Opryland. All winners will also receive recognition at TCA’s 2024 Safety & Security Meeting on June 2-5 in Indianapolis.
The 2023 TCA Fleet Safety Award division winners are:
- Division I winners:
- 1st place: Dolphin Line Inc.
- 2nd place: Parish Transport
- 3rd place: Sonwil Transportation
- Division II winners:
- 1st place: Transportation Services Inc.
- 2nd place: BCP Transportation
- 3rd place: Rowland Transportation
- Division III winners:
- 1st place: Fortune Transportation
- 2nd place: Hill Brothers Transportation Inc.
- 3rd place: Elgin Motor Freight
- Division IV winners:
- 1st place: Erb Transport Ltd.
- 2nd place: Trans-West Logistics Inc.
- 3rd place: Big M Transportation
- Division V winners:
- 1st place: Challenger Motor Freight Inc.
- 2nd place: National Carriers
- 3rd place: Leonard’s Express
- Division VI winners:
- 1st place: Bison Transport
- 2nd place: CFI
- 3rd place: Melton Truck Lines
Trucker Path community names top truck stops
Trucker Path recently announced the results of its annual ranking of truck stops. Recognized by nearly 1 million drivers using the Trucker Path app, these truck stop chains and independent facilities are considered the top places for drivers to stop based on their offerings and customer service.
“Being named to the list of Top Truck Stops means they are the best of the best,” said Chris Oliver, CMO at Trucker Path. “In addition to the 2024 winners, there were 11 locations that pulled off a hat trick and have ranked in the Top 100 for three consecutive years. With over 12,000 truck stops and roughly 11,000 additional fueling locations on our app for drivers to rate, this is a huge accomplishment and those facilities should be exceptionally proud. Providing this recognition and highlighting these top truck stops is part of our mission to help make truckers’ lives on the road easier and more comfortable.”
For its annual Top Truck Stops ranking, Trucker Path gathered over 34 million in-app ratings and reviews over the past 12 months to determine the Top 100. The Top 5 lists of truck stops include the chain and independent locations with the highest ratings in their respective categories.
Overall top truck stops:
- 1st Place: Kwik Star #1071, Davenport, Iowa
- 2nd Place: Discount Truck Parking, Pompano Beach, Florida
- 3rd Place: Workman's Travel Center, Ozark, Arkansas
- 4th Place: Compass Travel Center, Demotte, Indiana
- 5th Place: Bert's Travel Plaza, Wellsville, Kansas
Independent truck stops:
- 1st Place: Discount Truck Parking, Pompano Beach, Florida
- 2nd Place: Workman's Travel Center, Ozark, Arkansas
- 3rd Place: Compass Travel Center, Demotte, Indiana
- 4th Place: Bert's Travel Plaza, Wellsville, Kansas
- 5th Place: Stones Truck Stop, Watertown, South Dakota
Chain truck stops:
- 1st Place:Kwik Star #1071, Davenport, Iowa
- 2nd Place: Kwik Trip #202, Plover, Wisconsin
- 3rd Place: Kwik Trip #1048, West Salem, Wisconsin
- 4th Place: TA Ozarks #924, Mt. Vernon, Missouri
- 5th Place: Love’s Travel Stop #665, Angleton, Texas
ATA relaunches Women In Motion program as council
The American Trucking Associations recently rechristened its Women In Motion program an ATA Council, opening the door for women across the trucking and transportation industry to join a growing community focused on professional development and mentorship.
“Since its inception, Women In Motion has been focused on promoting the role of women in the trucking industry,” said Sarah Rajtik, ATA COO and co-chair of Women in Motion. “With this transition, we are hoping to capitalize on the work we’ve already done to reach a much larger group, creating more opportunities for women to connect and empower one another in order to make this great industry better for everyone.”
Members of WIM are eligible to receive a number of exclusive benefits, including:
- Access to the WIM electronic yearbook.
- Quarterly newsletters with special articles written by WIM members, upcoming events, and ways to get involved.
- Action alerts with legislative updates.
- Member pricing on products, courses, events, and more.
- Priority placement when WIM Speakers’ Bureau speaker requests are submitted.
- Access to WIM networking events at ATA meetings.
- WIM ribbon at ATA events.
- Eligible for any WIM awards.
- Corporate members are listed on the WIM website with a link to the company webpage.
- Corporate members received a special logo that they can use to identify themselves as affiliates.
“By re-launching WIM as an ATA Council, we hope to create a community of like-minded women in this industry,” said Brenda Neville, Iowa Motor Truck Association president and CEO, co-chair of Women In Motion. “I encourage any woman in this industry—from drivers to technicians and dispatchers to the C-suite—to come join us as we work to shape the future of this industry, breaking down barriers and paving the way for a new era of inclusivity and leadership in trucking.”
See also: ATA: Truck tonnage dips in November
XPO continues to support Truckers Against Trafficking
XPO recently extended its support for Truckers Against Trafficking’s efforts to fight human trafficking across the U.S. This year, XPO will again be a platinum partner of Truckers Against Trafficking.
"As trained eyes and ears across America’s roadways, our drivers play an important role in helping to spot and stop human trafficking,” said XPO CEO Mario Harik. “We are proud that nearly 5,000 XPO drivers are prepared and equipped to take action to address suspected trafficking activities, and we will continue to train as many drivers as possible to help prevent this often-hidden crime.”
“Safety is a core value at XPO, and we pursue it comprehensively—through our anti-trafficking partnership and our ongoing commitments to make our roads, workplaces, and communities safer,” he added.
XPO‘s announcement came on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, which helps raise awareness about public resources, such as the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Drivers nationwide have provided tips to the hotline that have contributed to the rescue of hundreds of victims.
“XPO's ongoing commitment to fighting human trafficking by training their drivers, creating learning opportunities for employees, and raising awareness among their corporate peers is inspiring,” said Esther Goetsch, executive director of Truckers Against Trafficking. “Just as truck drivers are essential in keeping America moving, they are also essential in this fight. We are grateful for their support and look forward to building on it year after year to make the greatest impact."
