Emory Mills, the safety and driver administration director at Oklahoma City-based FTC Transportation, is the 2022 winner of the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Safety Professional of the Year award.
Joined by past recipients of the Clare C. Casey Award, Mills received the accolade on June 6 at the association’s just-concluded 41st annual Safety & Security Meeting in Nashville.
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The award is named after Clare Casey, a safety professional who actively served TCA from 1979 until 1989 and was instrumental in forming the first annual Safety & Security Division meeting in 1982. The first Clare C. Casey Award was presented in 1990, a year after Casey’s death.
“I’m extremely honored to have been selected for the Clare C. Casey Award and overwhelmed to stand alongside of previous award winners, colleagues in safety, who have been an amazing resource over the years and who have always freely shared their wisdom and experiences,” Mills said after receiving the honor from TCA President Jim Ward.
Mills added, “My appreciation also goes out to the TCA team, who go above and beyond, and so many others in our great industry. Most of all, thank you to my family at home for their ongoing support, and to my FTC Transportation family whom it is truly my privilege to work alongside of each day.”
Mills’ career began at FTC Transportation in 2000, when she started in the fuel taxes and permits department at the contract carrier, according to a TCA release. Years later, she moved into the safety space as a driver and safety coordinator and advanced to driver and safety manager before moving to her current position as director of safety and driver administration. Prior to FTCT, Mills worked at other Oklahoma City trucking companies, A&A Trucking/Haskell Lemon Construction, Red Rock Distributing/Save-A-Stop, and Oklahoma Tank Lines.
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She earned her certified director of safety designation from the North American Transportation Management Institute, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification from Fred Pryor Seminars, and a reasonable suspicion certification from Great West Casualty Co.
“Emory is very deserving of this award as she works tirelessly to educate our team and maintain our safety record at FTC Transportation,” said FTCT President Greg Garen. “We have had an excellent safety record for many years in large part to Emory’s guidance and dedication to safety. She is an excellent example of how hard work makes one successful!”
FTCT’s director of operations, John Shepard, agreed: “Emory is the reason for the success in safety at FTCT. Everything we do is around safety.”
