Twenty trucking companies from across North America have been named the 2013 Best Fleets to Drive Forby the Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge.

The annual survey and contest, now in its fifth year, identifies for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experiences for their drivers. This year’s winners are:

• Brian Kurtz Trucking Ltd. – Breslau, Ontario

• Erb Group of Companies – New Hamburg, Ontario

• Fremont Contract Carriers – Fremont, Nebraska

• FTC Transportation, Inc. – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• Gordon Trucking, Inc. – Pacific, Washington

• Grand Island Express – Grand Island, Nebraska

• Halvor Lines, Inc. – Superior, Wisconsin

• Landstar System, Inc. – Jacksonville, Florida

• Load One Transportation & Logistics – Taylor, Michigan

• Motor Carrier Service, Inc. – Northwood, Ohio

• Paramount Freight Systems – Jeffersonville, Ohio

• Sammons Trucking – Missoula, Montana

• Spirit Truck Lines, Inc. – San Juan, Texas

• Steed Standard Transport Ltd. – Stratford, Ontario

• Steelman Transportation – Springfield, Missouri

• Tennant Truck Lines, Inc. – Colona, Illinois

• TimeLine Logistic International – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• Trimac Transportation – Calgary, Alberta

• WTI Transport – Tuscaloosa, Alabama

• Yanke Group of Companies – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

In addition, five companies have been identified as “Fleets to Watch” (honorable mentions) for demonstrating innovation in their driver programs:

• Celadon Canada – Kitchener, Ontario

• Farm2Fleet – Gibson City, Illinois

• Freight Exchange of North America, LLC – Chicago, Illinois

• Prime Inc. – Springfield, Missouri

• Transpro Freight Systems Ltd. – Milton, Ontario

The nomination process began in the fall of 2012, when company drivers and owner-operators were asked to nominate carriers that operate 10 or more trucks. After confirming the validity of the nominations and the trucking companies’ desire to participate, CarriersEdge interviewed human resources representatives and executives of the nominated fleets about their corporate direction, policies, and programs. Nominated fleets were evaluated against a scoring matrix covering a variety of categories, such as:

• Total compensation package – including base pay, bonuses, vacation, and sick day allotment

• Health benefits

• Pension plans

• Professional development opportunities (training, coaching programs, etc.)

• Career path/advancement opportunities • Commitment to employee personal growth, including work/life balance, driver family support, and employee-directed charitable contributions

• Commitment to continuous improvement, including dispute resolution processes and inclusion of driver feedback in policymaking

• Team building and driver community development activities

• Annual driver turnover rate

• Fleet safety record

A selection of each fleet’s drivers was also surveyed, with their feedback compared to management’s and incorporated into the final score. The responses were then tallied, resulting in the selection of this year’s winners and honorable mentions.

This year there was a 50% increase in nominations and participation for the fifth anniversary of the program.

The Yanke Group of Companies, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is the only company to be named a "Best Fleet" for all five years since the program was launched.

“I think that’s a real achievement, considering how much we’ve seen fleets improve their programs since we started,” said TCA President Chris Burruss. “It’s very difficult to get named a 'Best Fleet' to begin with, let alone remain on the list for five consecutive years!”

The next phase of the contest is to announce the highest scoring fleets from each of two categories: Best Overall Fleet for Owner Operators and Best Overall Fleet for Company Drivers. These overall winners will be honored at the TCA Annual Convention, March 3-6, 2013, at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.