Troy Stevenson, director of logistics for GreenLine Foods Inc., was honored at the recent National Private Truck Council (NPTC) Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition for graduating at the top of the class of individuals who earned their Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) credentials in 2011. Fleet Owner, which sponsors the annual award for the Top Graduate, presented a crystal eagle to Stevenson in recognition of his achievement.
About a year ago, Stevenson joined GreenLine, which operates a fleet of more than 60 power units distributing more than 1,400 shipments weekly in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to that, he served as transportation carrier relations leader-North America, for Owens Corning. He was also logistics manager, building products-North America, at Pilkington.
“The CTP seemed to encompass all my 17 years in trucking,” Stevenson says. “It really fit well for me. I started my career working for a for-hire carrier; later, I was with an outsourced dedicated fleet operation and then with a private fleet that was shut down. I've been on the equipment, driver and operations sides of the business, and this certification really is a culmination of all that experience. It has helped me to better understand all the things we measure in fleet operations and why private fleets make sense in certain situations.
“I did the Management Institute back in January to prepare for the test,” he adds. “During that time, I made a lot of friends and we developed a real sense of camaraderie. [So many other graduates and friends were at NPTC to get their certificates] that it made getting the award especially gratifying.”
Now, Stevenson says he is eager to put his new skills to work. “In our case, we are getting ready to replace a significant portion of our fleet equipment,” he says. “About one-third of our trucks will be traded out. This buying cycle, we are really focusing on fuel economy. We are looking at things like single-wide tires for weight reduction, auto-tire inflation systems and trailer skirts, for instance.
“There is no question that what I learned going through the certification process will help us make better decisions,” he notes. “Membership in NPTC also helps. Their benchmarking studies, for example, are critical in helping us to justify the things we do. I am really looking forward to working on improving our fleet operation over the next few years to make it more efficient.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, Stevenson has already decided to pursue yet another certification as well: the Certification in Transportation and Logistics (CTL) administered by the American Society of Transportation and Logistics. “I actually started working on my CTL again,” he offers. “I decided I might as well keep going. GreenLine gives us lots of opportunities to grow and improve professionally.”
Throughout his preparation for the CTP, Stevenson says his family was very supportive “although with two-year-old twin sons and a seven-year-old son, things are kind of busy at our house. My mom even sent the news story that appeared on fleetowner.com to the local paper where I grew up — and they ran it.”
The 18-year-old CTP program was developed by NPTC for private fleet professionals seeking to enhance and polish the skills and expertise they bring to their organizations.
About 800 people have earned certification to date. The test this year was even more rigorous than before due to the switch from multiple-choice to short-answer format.