KISSIMMEE, FL. For the second year in a row, Paramount Freight Systems, Ft. Myers, FL, has been named the Best Fleet for Owner Operators in the Truckload Carriers Assn.’s (TCA) Best Fleets to Drive For contest. Motor Carrier Service (MCS), Northwood, OH, was selected the Best Fleet for Company Drivers, sponsored by Marsh Canada, by TCA and its contest partner CarriersEdge.
Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual survey and contest identifying the North American for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experiences for their drivers. Carriers are nominated by drivers and evaluated on the range and depth of offered programs, the overall effectiveness of those programs across key metrics, and the responses of surveyed drivers.
The two winning companies were announced this week at TCA’s Annual Convention.
MCS measures driver performance as a routine part of daily operations, determining the criteria for those performance metrics by soliciting input from drivers. According to TCA, drivers at the company were recently asked what they should be measured on and which factors they believe are less useful indicators of performance. As a result of that feedback, truck cleanliness and driver attitude metrics were added.
“The process resulted in better understanding between management and drivers — especially when it became clear that both groups agreed,” said Keith Tuttle, president.
MCS drivers also provide integral feedback via a Driver Liaison Committee that reviews company policies and makes recommendations for changes and future programs.
Paramount maintains a committee of drivers who provide their input on company policies and procedures and it also uses a “buddy program” to pair experienced contractors with those just starting out. Both programs are fairly common in carriers that employ company drivers, but are somewhat unusual for an all-owner-operator fleet, TCA noted.
“Both of this year’s overall winners are fairly small fleets of under 200 drivers each, yet they act like big companies in terms of their driver outreach efforts, committees and programs,” said Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge. “They are out there every day pushing the boundaries of what is traditionally thought of as a ‘normal’ program, and it’s clearly working. It goes to show you don’t have to be big to be progressive.”