The American Trucking Associations’ Safety and Loss Prevention Management Council presented the industry’s three highest safety awards at its annual National Conference and Exhibition recently held in Las Vegas.

• James Wilcox, a New Mexico-based city pick up and delivery driver for Yellow Transportation Inc., has been named ATA’s 2006 National Truck Driver of the Year. Wilcox, of Farmington, N.M., scored more than 1.4 million accident-free miles in his 28 years on the road. Wilcox has served as an ATA America’s Road Team Captain and has competed eight times at ATA’s National Truck Driving Championships. The honor, sponsored by Custard Insurance Adjusters, is considered among the highest a commercial truck driver can receive.
• Steven Niswander, the vice president of Safety Policy and Regulatory Relations for Groendyke Transport Inc., of Enid, Okla., has been named ATA’s 2006 Safety Director of the Year. The award is presented annually to the motor carrier safety executive whose professional qualifications, safety programs and achievements are considered outstanding. A 27-year safety veteran, Niswander oversees a successful safety program for a team of 1,300 drivers across 40 terminals nationwide. The award is sponsored by Rand McNally.
• ATA named three motor carriers as winners of its 2006 National Truck Safety Contest. The companies, representing large, mid-size and small fleets, are Con-Way Southern Express, Fort Worth, Texas; FedEx Custom Critical, Uniontown, Ohio; and Ward Trucking LLC, Altoona, Pa. The award, sponsored by Great West Casualty Co., recognizes fleets with the highest records of safe operation and the best programs to promote safety throughout the industry, among all highway users and the general public.
“This year’s winners set the bar for all trucking industry professionals,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said in congratulating the awardees. “Their achievements and exemplary dedication to safety serve as outstanding examples of the trucking industry’s continuous commitment to safer roadways.”
Each of the winners will be recognized at ATA’s Management Conference and Exhibition in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 28-31.