The South Carolina Trucking Assn. has presented W. Lee Flowers & Co. Inc., a Lake City, S.C.-based trucking fleet, with the industry's top safety award.

Flowers had the lowest accident frequency rate of the many South Carolina fleets considered for the award. Flowers ran 1.5 million miles last year out of its Lake City facility. Flowers is a full-service grocery distribution provider for IGA Food Stores in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
Legrand Miles, vice president of operations and transportation said, "The credit for this accomplishment goes to the drivers and our transportation department."
"W. Lee Flowers is successful because of several things. One is the close one-on-one relationship with our drivers, and the support and encouragement of upper management," said Ronald V. Poston, transportation manager.
Commodity Express Transportation of West Columbia won the Most Improved Award for its accident-reduction efforts.
At the trucking association's ceremonies in Columbia, Chairman Rich Bundschuh, CEO of Bunch Transport of Charleston, said truckers have worked very hard and have spent substantial resources on driver and public safety awareness. "We have implemented a safety and courtesy campaign, have professional drivers speaking in schools and we conduct training regularly. We are working to spread the message to car drivers."
J. Richards Todd, president and CEO of the association credits industry safety efforts, stepped-up enforcement by the Department of Public Safety and public awareness programs by state and federal agencies with helping to reduce the truck-related deaths in South Carolina.
First place awards for various categories of operations were also presented to the following companies with in-state fleets:
General Commodities Division: Wilson Trucking Corp.; Roadway Express Inc.; Con-Way Southern Express; G & P Trucking Co. Inc.; StarTrans Inc.; Broadridge Transport Inc.; Belue Trucking Co. Inc.; AAA Cooper Transportation; Southeastern Freight Lines Inc.; Commodity Express Transportation; and FedEx Freight East (formerly American Freightways).
Tank Division: Springs Industries Inc.; LADA Truck Lines Inc.; Infinger Transportation Co. Inc.; Associated Petroleum Carriers Inc.; and StarTrans Inc. Private Carrier Division: Milliken & Co.; W. Lee Flowers & Co. Inc.; Bi- Lo LLC; and Diamond Hill Plywood Co. Aggregate Hauler Division: J & B Transport and Thompson Trucking Co. Inc. Heavy Hauler Division: Superior Transportation Inc.