American Trucking Associations recognized award recipients at the ATA Management Conference & Exhibition, honoring winners of the EPA SmartWay Excellence Award and the President's Trucking Association Executives Council Leadership Award.

ATA congratulated the 43 winners of the EPA SmartWay Excellence Awards – particularly the 15 members of ATA who were honored at the event. With the award, the EPA recognizes its top carrier partners for their commitment to an efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation supply chain.

"EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership is a model of industry and government cooperation," said Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO. "We hope that SmartWay will continue to be a tremendous example of how business and government can work together and how our industry can reduce fuel use and greenhouse emissions. I congratulate the industry leaders who EPA is honoring here today and especially those leaders who are part of our association."

Among this year's winners of the SmartWay Excellence Award are:

Challenger Motor Freight Inc., Heritage Transport LLC, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., Pitt Ohio, CRST Expedited Inc., Roehl Transport Inc., Doug Andrus Distributing LLC, UPS Small Package, Swift Transportation Co., U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc., Bison Transport Inc., Cargo Transporters, Dedicated Transport LLC, Mesilla Valley Transportation and OutWest Express LLC.

"We all depend on the freight sector, and these award-winning SmartWay carriers have demonstrated that it is possible to compete in this space while placing an emphasis on environmental integrity, allowing for reduced fuel costs which increase revenue while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” said Christopher Grundler, director of EPA's Office of Transportation & Air Quality.

ATA also named Brenda Neville, president of the Iowa Motor Truck Association at the 15th recipient of the President's Trucking Association Executives Council Leadership Award. The award was created by ATA to honor a state trucking association leader and create and enduring legacy for that leader and for the industry. The award comes with a $10,000 grant for a non-profit trucking education or research organization chosen by the winner.

"Brenda is a passionate and dedicated leader for our industry," said Kevin Burch, incoming ATA chairman and president of Jet Express Inc. "Her work in Iowa has been an example for state association executives across the country to follow, and we are proud to see her recognized with this award."

As the head of IMTA, Neville led a successful campaign to raise Iowa’s gas tax and has overseen the Iowa Motor Carriers Foundation which distributes scholarships to young Iowans. She is part of ATA’s membership team and has worked with LEAD ATA to develop future industry leaders.

"ATA's strength lies in our federation, so we are proud to now sponsor this award," said Spear. "Brenda is a great friend and a tremendous leader for our industry. She is more than deserving of this honor and I congratulate her on behalf of all of ATA.”