The American Trucking Associations' Safety Management Council recognized fleets, drivers and safety directors for their contributions to fleet safety at the Safety, Security and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition in Oklahoma City.

ATA honored three companies who exhibited safety excellence in their daily operations with the President’s Award in three categories based on total fleet miles driven:

• Gorski Bulk Transport, Detroit, Michigan, for fleets under 25 million miles

• TCW Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, for fleets between 25 million and 100 million miles

• Old Dominion Freight Line, Thomasville, North Carolina, for fleets with more than 100 million miles

"Awards like these are the trucking industry's acknowledgment of worthwhile effort applied to the area that matters most to our industry – safety," said Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO. "Whether you're a million mile accident-free driver or an executive that dedicates resources to safety investments, we want you to know that you're making a difference on the highways."

Frank Calvert, a driver for AAA Cooper, was honored as National Truck Driver of the Year. He's in the 60th year of his driving career and was also named the Alabama Driver of the Year in April.

ATA also recognized Lisa Gonnerman of Ruan Transportation with the 2016 National Safety Director Award. Gonnerman is recognized for creating a safety training program titled MegaSafe7 that reinvigorated the company’s safety culture. According to Ruan’s leadership team, the program empowered Ruan employees to take ownership of their safe driving behaviors and spread safety messages throughout the company.

“By establishing strong safety cultures throughout her career in trucking, Lisa has made a significant impact on highway safety and undoubtedly saved lives,” said Spear. “The trucking industry is fortunate to have committed safety leaders, like Lisa, and ATA is proud to recognize individuals who make safety their top priority.”