INDIANAPOLIS—The Truckload Carriers Association announced the winner of its 2024 Safety Professional of the Year here at the TCA Safety & Security Conference: Jeff McKinney, VP of safety at the GTI Group.
“This award is a time-honored tradition of the TCA Safety & Security division, which exemplifies our industries’ impressive dedication to safety,” Dave Heller, SVP of safety and government affairs for TCA, said. “Because our safety professionals often go unnoticed throughout their careers, this award was established to recognize that individual who truly exemplifies a career devoted to improving safety on our nation’s highways.”
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Heller and Alice Walker, owner of Creative Concepts, presented McKinney with three special gifts designed for the award.
“We’re very proud to be able to say we’re associated with the TCA and everything that stands for and are very proud to present Jeff this award,” Walker said. “Congratulations.”
McKinney received a commemorative crystal plaque, a 10-karat gold ring, and a characteristic burgundy blazer to signify McKinney’s dedication to safety. The blazer easily identifies winners of the Safety Professional of the Year. Past years’ winners in the crowd also wore their burgundy blazers during the ceremony.
25 years of outstanding service
Heller said that, in his over 18 years overseeing the award program, he had never seen a list of potential nominees as qualified and deserving as those entered in 2024. However, one nominee stood out in the end.
“If I had the time to list all their awards and achievements, we’d likely be here all night,” Heller said.
McKinney is an experienced and thoroughly involved industry player. He has 25 years’ worth of experience across several facets of freight management—from company driver to trainer to warehouse manager. McKinney achieved his certification as Certified Director of Safety through the North American Transportation Management Institute, and has maintained that status since 2007.
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“This person has seemingly done it all, from DOT compliance to safety supervisor, training operations, defensive driving, and a safety consultant position,” Heller said before naming McKinney as the winner. “This recipient’s knowledge of the field and its practices have emphasized the very notion that safety is certainly a core value, which has led them to their current position of vice president.”
McKinney is also a passionate community volunteer and U.S. Marine veteran.
