The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently awarded National Carriers’ Director of Safety/Compliance Jill Maschmeier as the 2020 TCA Safety Professional of the Year — Clare C. Casey Award recipient. The announcement was made during TCA’s Virtual Safety & Security Meeting.

This honor is bestowed upon a trucking industry professional whose actions and achievements have made a profound contribution to enhancing safety on North America’s highways.

“Jill’s motto is that every day we always can learn something that we can pass on to our co-workers and family,” said National Carriers’ Vice President of Finance Mike Rinehart during the presentation. “She is also working for education and safety awareness during the current COVID-19 crisis.”

When Maschmeier was hired in 2000, National had an unsatisfactory rating. Within a year, she was able to earn a satisfactory rating from FMCSA, as well as a letter of recommendation from the DOT.

“Jill has led by example for the cause of highway safety for both the motoring public and in particular for freight transportation,” said National Carriers’ Director Ed Kentner.

Aside from serving as a TCA Safety Council officer, Maschmeier was also named Kansas Motor Carrier Association’s 2016 Safety Professional of the Year and has served as a member of the Women in Trucking Image Team and Southwest Kansas Safety Council, as well as partnering with FMCSA to educate others about electronic logging devices.

Nominees for TCA’s award must exemplify leadership and demonstrate the goals of protecting lives and property in the motor transportation industry while serving their company, industry, and the motoring public. The award is named after Clare Casey, a safety professional who actively served TCA from 1979 until 1989. He was devoted to ensuring that all truckload safety professionals build a strong safety network and was instrumental in forming the first annual Safety & Security Division meeting in 1982.