Recognition Road

Crete and Shaffer Wins Carrier of the Year Awards
Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking recently received awards from cereal and convenience producer Kellogg’s.
Lincoln, Nebraska-based Crete Carrier Corp. was named as Kellogg’s Komplete Carrier of the Year. Their sister division, Shaffer Trucking, was named 2009 Temperature Controlled Carrier of the Year.
This marks the first time in Kellogg’s history that a company has been given the dry van and temperature controlled awards in the same year.

Central Freight Lines Driver Earns 4 Million Miler Award

Ron Fuller

Ron Fuller, with 34 years of accident free driving at Central Freight in Dallas, has been awarded the 4 Million Miler Award which represents an unblemished record during his career. “You have to have a passion for what you do,” says Ron, “that is what makes you good.”  “I take great pride in having earned this acknowledgement, but driving is what I do, and every day I go out there and do the best I can”. “Sharing this with my wife and two daughters makes it even more meaningful”.   Ron also holds a Certified DOT Advance Online Master Certificate, 10 years as a Certified Driving Instructor, 6 years as a Certified Orientation Instructor and a three-time winner of the Presidential Citation Award for safety.

“We are proud of Ron and what he has accomplished,” says Don Orr, President  & CEO of Central Freight. “Our company was founded on the premise of establishing a world class carrier, powered by individuals like Ron, values based individuals who share a common vision and come to work daily with a powerful mission; to serve the customer.” To learn more, logon to: www.centralfreight.com

TMC Transportation Awards Garth Thompson with Quarterly Award
TMC Transportation, the largest privately-held flatbed carrier in the nation, recently awarded TMC owner-operator Garth Thompson with the Driver of the First Quarter award for 2010.

Garth has been an owner-operator with TMC for nearly 15 years and has almost two million safe miles He is an exceptional example of what the TMC Driver of the Quarter represents. “In the years Garth has been with TMC the conversations with the safety dept have been rare,” says Todd Bunting, VP of Safety. “He has never had a moving violation and he is preventable accident free.  TMC is fortunate to have had him as a company driver and o/o for the past 14 and a-half years.”

TMC, the nation’s largest privately-held provider of flatbed transportation, provides expert transportation services and supply-chain management solutions throughout the 48 contiguous states.

Exel Transportation Earns Frito-Lay Carrier Of The Year Award
Exel Transportation, an operating unit of Exel, the North American leader in supply chain management and a Deutsche Post DHL company, has earned the prestigious Carrier of the Year award from Frito-Lay North America. Exel Transportation received the recognition during an awards ceremony held April 15 in Plano, Texas.

“Exel Transportation has played a vital role in maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of our transportation network,” said Rodney Noble, senior group manager for transportation procurement at Frito-Lay. “Exel’s outstanding performance earned them the 2009 Carrier of the Year.”

Exel Transportation is one of numerous core carriers for Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo. Frito-Lay’s annual Carrier of the Year recognition is based on service, efficiency, cost controls, ease of doing business, innovation and feedback from the company’s field personnel.

Con-way Freight Driver Achieves Two Million Accident-Free Miles
Every industry has certain unique career milestones which set apart an individual as especially skilled and accomplished in their profession. For a professional truck driver, two million miles of safe driving without an accident is the ultimate measure of excellence. It is an elite club that now counts Kansas City, Mo., resident Robert Valdivia as a member.

Valdivia is a driver sales representative for Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) freight carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW). He safely drove the two million miles starting in 1993, and recently reached the two-million-mile mark. The company plans to recognize his achievement in a ceremony at its Kansas City, Kan., service center, where Valdivia is based.

“Robert Valdivia’s impressive accomplishment highlights the personal and professional commitment to safety of those of our employees who go behind the wheel of a truck every day, and who make it their business to demonstrate superior safety performance on the highways, in our service centers and at our customers’ facilities,” said John G. Labrie, president, Con-way Freight. “Safety is one of our core values, and we congratulate Robert for his extraordinary achievement.”

Valdivia has worked for Con-way Freight since 1993 and has been a professional truck driver for 30 years. He was previously recognized by the company with an award for 15 years of safe working, and for reaching one million miles of accident-free driving. Valdivia’s route takes him from Kansas City, Kan., to Springdale, Ark., a round trip of more than 450 miles. He has been married for 33 years to his wife, Teresa, and has three children: Jennifer, 32; Katherine, 31; and Megan, 25. He enjoys riding motorcycles in his spare time.

Decker Names Drivers Of The Month
Decker Truck Line, Inc. is pleased to announce the company’s April Drivers of the Month. The winner for the Flatbed Division is Dennis Nelson.

Nelson has been driving for eight years, six of those with Decker. Sue Anderson, Nelson’s dispatcher said, “Dennis is a very good owner-operator. He delivers on time and is very courteous. He always does a good job, works very steady and stays busy.” In his spare time, Nelson enjoys working on his farm tractors, water skiing and riding Harleys.

The Driver of the Month for the Reefer-Van Division is Michael Haley. Married with two sons, Haley has been with Decker for almost one year. His hobbies include motorcycling, cooking and football. Haley’s dispatcher, Michael Kehoe explained, “Michael has a positive attitude and has done a tremendous job with on time delivery. He has done everything asked of him and has a good understanding of the Hours of Service.”

Melton Truck Lines, Inc. Names Drivers Of The Month
Please help us congratulate Barry Evans and Jimmy Gay on their prestigious driver of the month awards. Barry and Jimmy were

Dennis Nelson

nominated and earned their awards because of their professionalism and commitment to safety, productivity, fuel conservation, and service to customers.

Barry Evans has been with Melton for 13 of his 16 years driving over the road. He used to work construction before getting a job delivering furniture and fixing appliances. He got into trucking for the money and the adventure. Barry believes that Melton is different from other companies because of the people.  “Everyone is knowledgeable and helpful.” When asked what he loves most about Melton, he said “My Driver Manager. Tami McCarty has been my dispatcher for years and I’m keeping her.”  In his spare time, Barry likes to hunt ducks and geese, fish, and work around the house.  He is from St. Michaels, MD and says “HI” to his family there.

If you know Jimmy Gay, you understand why he just smiles when asked how long he has been driving for Melton. His tenure began back in 1984 and he has logged over 2 million miles here. Before coming to Melton, he was a surveyor and then a fuel truck driver for a pipeline. He says, “My daddy had his truck leased on with ‘Old Melton’, so it was just natural for me to come here.”When asked what makes Melton different from other companies, Jimmy has only one response. “I haven’t worked for any other trucking companies and just wouldn’t. Everybody treats you really well here.”

Michael Haley

For more information, please visit www.meltontruck.com. •