ATS Drivers Win Championship
On June 16, three team members for Anderson Trucking Service Inc. took home awards from the 2001 Minnesota Truck Driving Championships.
Russ Berg, Dave Ireland, Dan Sorby, Michael Toomire and Bill Wang represented ATS at the competition that was held in Brooklyn Center, Minn. They won third place in the overall competition. Bill Wang won first place in the sleeper berth category and the Grand Champion title for best overall score. Russ Berg won third place in the flatbed category and Dave Ireland won third place in the five-axle category.
CFI Drivers of the Month
Contract Freighters Inc. of Joplin, Mo., announced its May Drivers of the Month. Dennis Platt of De Witt, Iowa, was named Company Driver of the Month, and Kim and Barb Sorrell of Joplin, Mo., were named Company Team of the Month. Contractor Driver of the Month was Mike Wilson of San Antonio, and Contractor Team of the Month was John and Sherry Hufford of Bell, Fla.
CFI received three awards for superior service that included an award from the Certainteed plant in Chowchilla, Calif., for 100 percent on-time deliveries in 2000. CFI received its second Carrier of the Year award from Key Tronic and received its third-consecutive Harrisburg Distribution Center Quality Club Award from Appleton Papers Company.
Maverick Receives Safety Award
Maverick Transportation Inc. was awarded the Liberty Mutual Gold Award for Excellence in Safety. It’s the highest honor awarded by Liberty Mutual.
Lon Robeson of Liberty Mutual said Maverick received the award because its crash-frequency rate was much better than the award threshold.
Landstar Driver Wins Honor
Philip Johnson, an owner-operator for Landstar of Jacksonville, Fla., was named Landstar’s Regional Safe Truck Driving Champion. He won the competition at the company’s annual Appreciation Days in Rockford, Ill.
Twenty drivers competed on an obstacle course that tested precision driving skills, and performed a pre-trip inspection test. In the tractor-trailer category, owner-operators James Lininger and Russell Herring finished second and third, respectively. Landstar Express America owner-operator David Johann placed first in the straight-truck division, and Gwen Shelton placed second.
The event included a truck beauty contest in which Bill Kersey won first place, Steven Pelczynski received second place and Rex Veach received third place.
Mercer Hosts Contractors
Mercer Transportation of Louisville, Ky., sponsored a Top Ten Contractors weekend in April to honor 50 owner-operators. Categories included Top System, Top Singles, Top Five Loads and Mid-America.
Mercer treated the drivers to a dinner cruise aboard The Star of Louisville, a trip to historic Brown County and Nashville, Ind., and a concert by Porter Wagoner at the Little Nashville Opry.
KAT Driver of the Year
KAT of Chesterton, Ind., recognized its 2 million- and 1 million-mile accident-free drivers at a safety banquet in April.
Jim Marshall of Colorado was named the 2000 Driver of the Year. Marshall has driven for KAT for 10 years and is a member of the company’s Million Mile safe driving club. He received a $10,000 savings bond, a plaque and a red jacket.
Wheaton Drivers
Wheaton World Wide Moving of Indianapolis announced drivers of the month for April.
The recipients were Robert Krumpols with Preferred Movers, Inc., Crossville, Tenn.; Art Kelly of Rowlett, Texas; Marion Spencer with Bell Moving and Storage, Cincinnati; and Jeff Schmidt with Alabama We-Haul Movers, Huntsville, Ala.
Krumpols and Kelly have logged 50,000 and 950,000 safe miles, respectively, since qualifying with Wheaton. Schmidt has driven 100,000 safe miles. Each driver received a cash award and a plaque.
M.S. Carriers Receives Top Honors
Drivers for M.S. Carriers won seven awards, including Best Team, in Tennessee Trucking Association’s annual driving championship.
Jim Flinchum won the Grand Champion award and first place in the five-axle sleeper division. Other awards were presented to Scott Coleman, first place, tanker division; Michael Bersuder, second place, straight truck division; and Steven Smith, Rookie of the Year and second place, three-axle division.
Drivers Honored
Travis Bounds and Gary Riva were named to Combined Transport Inc.’s Million Mile Club for their dedicated service and 1 million accident-free miles.
Bounds has driven for Combined Transport since 1990 and specializes in heavy haul and general commodities. Riva has driven for Combined Transport since 1994 and specializes in glass hauling.
