Averitt Express recently held its company-wide 2004 Truck Driving and Dock Safety Championships
at its service center in Cookeville, Tenn.
Participating in the one-day competition were 19 drivers and 10 dock associates from Averitt's network of service centers throughout the South.
At the end of the day of competition, the "Grand Champion" of the driving championship was Brent Hawks of Asheville, N.C. Second place went to Charles Walker of Louisville, Kentucky, and third place was awarded to Dale Myers of Knoxville, Tenn.
The "Grand Champion" of the dock championship for the second year in a row was Kevin Shoemaker of Greenville, S.C. Second place went to Mike Webb of Knoxville, Tenn., and third place was awarded to Pete Hand of Jackson, Tenn.
"At Averitt Express, we take the safety of our associates and the general public very seriously," said Gary Sasser, Averitt's President and CEO.
"Whether it's on the road or on the dock, the well being of our people and the safety of general public comes first. That's why I'm especially proud of our associates who participated in our company-wide safety competition."
The event began on a Friday evening with a special welcome reception at Averitt's corporate office for the drivers and dock associates, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Tampa, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C. to participate.
Designed to test driving skills and general safety knowledge, the driving championship, which took place on Saturday, included three phases: a personal interview, a "pre-trip" inspection, and a driving skills test.
During the personal interview phase, drivers were posed general questions about safe driving practices. The "pre-trip" inspection portion of the competition required drivers to demonstrate how they typically check their tractor-trailers for safety hazards before they depart for a trip.
Finally, to complete the driving skills course, drivers had to maneuver a tractor and 53-foot trailer through a series of difficult obstacles such as right-hand turns, parallel parking, alley docking, and navigating a straight-line obstacle course with a "stop line."
All three of the driving championship phases were judged by Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers from the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Enforcement unit.
Other drivers that competed in the event included: Thomas Anderson (Hickory, N.C.), James Blackstone (Dothan, Ala.), Roy Brown (Hickory, N.C.), David Butler (Jackson, Tenn.), Tom Gracy (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Denny Green (Tampa, Fla.), Bennie Johnson (Cookeville, Tenn.), Brian Mauldin (Marietta, Ga.), Don Miles (Fort Smith, Ark.), Bill Moser (Marietta, Ga), Ron Ruffin (Charlotte, N.C.), Andy Sparling (Tifton, Ga.), Karl Smith (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), David Tollett (Cookeville, Tenn.), Oakley Vaughn
(Bowling Green, Ky.), Wade Winters (Nashville, Tenn.).
To qualify for the driving championship, Averitt's drivers had to meet minimum qualifications based on following criteria: no moving violations in the past three years; preventable accident-free in 2003; minimum of five years safe driving with Averitt; and a written test on safety guidelines and procedures.
The dock championship, like the driving competition, also involved a written test, interview, a pre-trip inspection, and an obstacle course.
For the written test, dock associates answered questions about general dock safety, tow motor operation, and proper freight handling. In the interview phase, associates were asked questions about handling tow motors safely under various situations. The obstacle course included: serpentine, dock bay, precision, straight load, pinwheel, and rug pole obstacles.
Other dock associates that competed in the event included: Dwayne Allen (Knoxville, Tenn.), Jason Barrett (Nashville, Tenn.), Tim Carver (Tri-Cities, Tenn.), Josh Jones (Jackson, Tenn.), Lewis Jones (Memphis, Tenn.), Sam Pendergrass (Cookeville, Tenn.), Richard Watson (Marietta, Ga.).
To qualify for the dock championship, associates had to meet minimum qualifications, including: a clean motor vehicle record for the past three years, no tow motor-related injuries or freight incidents in 2003, no avoidable injuries in 2003, and a minimum of five years of tow motor experience with Averitt.
For more information, visit www.averittexpress.com.