The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge are pleased to announce the 2018 Best Fleets to Drive For. These 20 for-hire trucking companies from across North America are being recognized for providing exemplary work environments for their professional truck drivers and independent contractors.
To be considered for the Best Fleets program, companies operating ten or more trucks had to receive a nomination from at least one of their company drivers or owner-operators. CarriersEdge then interviewed human resources representatives and executives of the nominated fleets regarding their corporate directions, policies, and programs. The fleets were evaluated using a scoring matrix covering a variety of categories, such as total compensation package, health benefits, pension plans, professional development opportunities, and career path/advancement opportunities, among other criteria.
Driver feedback was then compared with management’s comments and incorporated into the final score, resulting in the selection of this year’s winners and honorable mentions.
“Creative new programs from the Top 20 companies received high marks from drivers,” said Jane Jazrawy, co-founder of CarriersEdge. “The average satisfaction level among the Top 20 companies was over 90%, and the average turnover among these companies was under 40%.”
While the overall number of nominations was down this year, engagement among participants was higher than ever. As a result, the number of fleets making it through to the final round of evaluation was consistent with past years, with the level of effort among those participants continuing to impress.
Here are the 2018 Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For (click on a carrier’s logo to visit its website):
- American Central Transport, Inc., Kansas City, MO
- Bison Transport, Winnipeg, MB
- Boyle Transportation, Billerica, MA
- Central Oregon Truck Company, Inc., Redmond, OR
- Challenger Motor Freight, Inc., Cambridge, ON
- Erb Group, New Hamburg, ON
- Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc., Fremont, NE
- FTC Transportation, Inc., Oklahoma City, OK
- Garner Trucking, Inc., Findlay, OH
- Grand Island Express, Inc., Grand Island, NE
- Halvor Lines, Inc., Superior, WI
- Keller Logistics Group, LLC, Defiance, OH
- Maverick Transportation, LLC, North Little Rock, AR
- Motor Carrier Service, LLC, Northwood, OH
- Nussbaum Transportation, Hudson, IL
- Prime Inc., Springfield, MO
- Smokey Point Distributing, Arlington, WA
- TLD Logistics Services, Inc., Knoxville, TN
- TransPro Freight Systems, Ltd., Milton, ON
- Veriha Trucking, Inc., Marinette, WI
Three companies, Bison Transport, Central Oregon Truck Company, and TransPro Freight Systems, have achieved the milestone of five consecutive years on the Best Fleets list.
“It’s not easy to be named one of the Best Fleets to Drive For,” said TCA President John Lyboldt. “It simultaneously requires commitment to an individual carrier’s operations and a vision for the future of the industry as a whole. Congratulations to all of the winners for this immense achievement.”
Five companies have also been identified as “Fleets to Watch”–honorable mentions for demonstrating innovation in their driver programs:
- Bennett Motor Express, McDonough, GA
- Hoekstra Transportation, LLC, Kankakee, IL
- Larway Transportation, Barrie, ON
- LoadOne LLC, Taylor, MI
- Werner Enterprises, Omaha, NE
Phase two of the contest will divide the highest scoring fleets into small and large fleet categories, from which two overall winners will be selected. These awards will be sponsored by EpicVue of Salt Lake City, UT and Northbridge Insurance of Toronto, ON.
The overall winners’ names will be announced during TCA’s Annual Convention, March 25-28, 2018, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL.
For more details about Best Fleets to Drive For, make sure to follow the hashtag #BestFleets18 on TCA’s Twitter and Facebook pages.