Voyager Express of Denver and Metropolitan Trucking of Paterson, N.J., won the Truckload Carriers Assn.'s National Fleet Safety Contest.

Voyager Express won the award for truckload companies operating under 25 million miles annually, while Metropolitan Trucking won for the category of over 25 million miles annually. The awards were presented during TCA's annual meeting this week in San Antonio.
Voyager Express demonstrated that its safety program focuses on safety, beginning with strict truck driver hiring procedures and requirements. The company only hires drivers with a minimum of two years of over-the-road experience. Independent contractors are not used unless their tractors have complete maintenance files, are newer than five years old, and pass Voyager's critical safety inspection. After a driver is hired, he or she is oriented to the company, typically through a one-on-one session with the recruiter/driver trainer. The driver then completes a road test of approximately 10-20 miles involving various situations. Once out on the road, the driver is encouraged to attend monthly company safety meetings and must pass an annual driver review (including driving/backing skills, logs, paperwork, and pre-trip inspections). An actual road patrol is also sent periodically to monitor and supervise the drivers' skills, habits, and tendencies while en route.
Metropolitan Trucking has placed in the top three Division awards for TCA's contest for the past five years in a row. It has a ratio of one safety-related staff member to every 30 tractors and one fleet manager for every 55 drivers. The company hires only five out of every 100 driver applicants, and then requires all its drivers to attend a two-day orientation and training program, regardless of experience. Afterwards, drivers must complete four classes per year on topics like employment-hazard perception, precision driving, decision driving, and seasonal skills. Metropolitan now boasts a 97 percent driver retention rate and has reduced its driver turnover by 160 percent since 1988.
The judging process began with the determination of the top companies in each of six mileage divisions. The division winners were selected based on accident frequency only. The top three winners in each division were then able to compete for the two grand prizes. The grand prize-winning companies were judged on their overall safety programs, both on and off-highway. Some of the factors considered included safety program organization, employee driver/independent contractor selection procedures, training, supervision, accident investigation, inspection and maintenance of equipment, and outside activities including general highway safety.