Once again I'm left wondering how it is that the Americans are so far ahead of us when it comes to sending out positive PR messages for the trucking industry. (And whatever happened to rhetoric questions?) Take this latest story I've received from Jim McNamara, Biglorryblog's PR wallah contact at Volvo Trucks North America. It seems the good folk at VTNA have been running a competition to promote safety in the business and have presented Food City and Bison Transport its Volvo Trucks Safety Award. Why those two companies? Well Food City of Abingdon, Virginia, won the gong for the "under 10 million mile category" with a remarkable zero (0) recordable accidents in 2008 during 7.9 million miles of driving. The fleet serves 105 supermarkets in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee with a fleet of 75 tractors and 129 drivers with a combined 1,193 years of safe driving (www.foodcity.com/about_us/) .
And Bison? Well the Winnipeg, Manitoba-based company took top spot in the "over 10 million mile category" with an astonishingly low rate of 0.19209 accidents per million miles travelled. Bison has 1,050 tractors, 1,400 drivers and handles approximately 3,200 shipments per week across the U.S. and Canada. (www.bisontransport.com) Click on this link you'll see a natty little video of the winners and their vehicles http://209.235.254.91/video/trucks/safetyawards.wmv
Meanwhile, here's a shot of the winners From left, Bison President and CEO Don Streuber, Volvo Trucks Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing Scott Kress, Food City Senior Vice President and COO Jesse Lewis and Food City Director of Transportation Mike Tate. All of which has me wondering why isn't their an equivalent award for the UK? And click through here to find out how the competition is run and more...
At the beginning of 2009, Volvo Trucks invited all U.S. and Canadian fleets with more than five units to apply for the awards. The awards are given in two categories, one for fleets with less than 10 million miles of annual operation and the other for those with more than 10 million miles. Fleets were ranked by their accident frequency rates for 2008, using the U.S. Department of Transportation definition of a "recordable accident," as well as their accident prevention programs. The accident frequency rates accounted for the major portion of each fleet's ranking.
"Food City and Bison Transport represent extraordinary ongoing achievements in the safe operation of trucks," Scott Kress, Volvo's senior vice president - sales & marketing tells BLB: "Both of these companies have taken the concept of safety and made it the foundation of their fleets. They have focused significant resources and talent on recruitment, training, maintenance and equipment. The end result is that these companies year after year have outstanding safety records and are role models for others in the industry," says Scott. "Volvo is honoured to recognise these companies and their employees, and to share our passion for safety."
"Safety to us is truly accident prevention," adds Jesse Lewis, Food City senior vice president and chief operating officer. "It's providing a safe workplace, it's providing a fleet that gives our drivers the very best to operate, the safest vehicle we can possibly put them in. We feel what we invest in accident prevention gives us a tremendous return on that investment. The image of safe driving with our consumer is extremely important to us."
Meanwhile, Don Streuber, Bison Transport president and CEO opines: "Bison has an intense focus on safety. Our safety equation includes a 'driver's toolbox' that encompasses the selection of safe equipment, a safe working environment, in-depth training and the systems of accountability so that we don't lose sight that safety is in fact a priority. We've had a wonderful working relationship with Volvo ... ensuring that their care and concern for safety matches our care and concern for safety."
Bison's training includes ongoing training for experienced drivers as well as new hires, using 15 separate courses and four driving simulators. The company also performs risk assessments on each driver and uses targeted training to improve those identified as high-risk. Interestingly enough both Food City and Bison Transport say their drivers are "empowered to decide when conditions are unsafe for driving, including weather, traffic or other factors." And that. of course, is at the heart of every good risk assessment.
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