Erb wins Volvo Trucks Safety Award; $25K prize to go towards safety programs

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Erb International has won the 2012 Volvo Trucks Safety Award, consisting of a $25,000 prize to be put towards safety-related programs.

Erb was recognized during the American Trucking Associations Management Conference for its record in the high-mileage category of 20 million miles or more.

Munoz Trucking of El Paso, Texas won the award for the less than 20 million mile category.

The award is run by Volvo and sponsored by Michelin.

“Volvo is synonymous with safety. It permeates our company culture,” said Magnus Koeck, Volvo Trucks vice-president, marketing and brand management. “Erb International and Munoz Trucking have clearly demonstrated the importance of safety within their organizations. We’re pleased to acknowledge those commitments and how they translate into safe performance on the road.”

Fleets were ranked by their accident frequency rate using US DoT data and then evaluated on their accident prevention programs.

Erb International, with its 240 trucks, in 2011 recorded an accident frequency rate of just 0.294 while logging more than 27.2 million miles.

The company boasts an employee and driver wellness program, encourages participation in truck driving championships, offers a driver performance incentive program and collects driver performance data for use in developing driver risk assessment reports. They also have a hazard prevention program, present safety-related information in all terminal driver’s rooms and have driver supervisors and trainers available at each terminal, Volvo reported.

“We are absolutely thrilled to win the Volvo Trucks Safety Award,” said Wendell Erb, Erb International president and CEO. “When there is proven technology like Volvo offers that can improve safety for us, we will be right there to add it to the spec of the truck. What we see with Volvo is the safety side of the equipment is definitely an added bonus. Volvo is competitive in everything and at the same time, they are a very safe truck.” 
“I’m just so proud of everyone at Erb International for their achievements,” added Tom Boehler, director of safety and compliance for Erb International. “It’s the employees’ willingness to participate in our programs that makes us a success.

Volvo has produced a video on Erb’s safety program, which can be viewed here.

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KRTS wins Reader's Choice award for best driving institution

CALEDONIA, Ont. -- Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists (KRTS) has won a Reader’s Choice Award in the Best Driving Institution category for the third year in a row.

The awards are hosted by the Grand River Sachem and Glanbrook Gazette, a pair of publications that reach about 30,000 homes in Haldimand County, Six Nations, Glanbrook and Binbrook. The Reader’s Choice Awards “shine the light on the businesses that have delivered outstanding customer service,” according to a company release.

“This is our third year in a row winning and it is a great feeling,” said KRTS president Kim Richardson. “Our core value at KRTS is people; this includes clients, staff, friends and community.”

Since 1989 KRTS has educated and certified over 10,000 clients for AZ/DZ licencing, heavy equipment, dispatch, driver education, forklift and corporate training. Richardson credits his staff and associates at KRTS for the award winning services.

“Our recipe for success has always been built around our people. Hire properly, pay your staff well, give them the tools and education to do their job properly, treat them with respect and get out of their way so they can do their job” Richardson added.

Richardson and his wife of 25 years Lisa, founded KRTS in 1989 with one truck and trailer with an office in their house. Today, their business includes two training sites in Ontario for KRTS, an industry publication called The Rear View Mirror, and a partnership with Transrep alongside industry veteran Ray Haight.

“Life has a way of giving back to those who give. Our family and business are very involved with our community and the industries we serve. That is one of the corners of our foundation, community. Family, friends, business and community – it’s a great foundation to live your life by,” Richardson said.

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Erb's safety director wins prestigious award

NEW HAMBURG, Ont. -- Erb Group's director of safety and compliance Tom Boehler has won the 2011 Transportation Safety Professional of the Year Award from the Central Chapter of the Fleet Safety Council.

"Tom and his team are the driving force behind many safety programs. Their commitment to safety and best practice has directly impacted the safe working environment at Erb," Erb officials said in a release.

"Safety involves everyone. It's easy to come up with an idea, but it's those that embrace it that make it successful," Boehler says.

Boehler started at Erb Transport in 1997 as a driver trainer. After a period as coordinator of safety and compliance with another transportation company, he returned to Erb as corporate driver trainer and compliance manager. In January 2008, he was appointed director of safety and compliance. Boehler is also involved in various committees at Erb, including the Health and Safety and the Employees' Representatives to Management.

"Through Tom's guidance Erb has excelled in many areas such as: automated driver log audits, driver procedures and manuals, the company-wide implementation of Turnpike Global, Entry-Level Program, Pro-Drive Driver Bonus Program and various safety award submissions," officials said in a release.

Boehler serves on the district of Kitchener's Safe Driver Award Banquet Team and is a co-chair of the Markel Best Practice Council. He also volunteers annually at the Central Ontario Regional Truck Driving Championships and is involved in the NASCAR 22 Canadian Tire Series Racing Team.

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Tandet wins leadership award from NationaLease

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- Tandet NationaLease has been named as one of the 2011 recipients of NationaLease's Leadership Circle Award. The awards, presented at NationaLease's 67th annual meeting held recently in San Francisco, were doled out to 34 NationaLease member companies that have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to system involvement and leadership. Tandet was the only Canadian company to win the award.

Companies are chosen based on their participation in NationaLease programs, fleet growth, and for superior performance as measured by NationaLease member standards.
"Our Leadership Circle Award winners represent the finest companies in the transportation industry today," said Gene Scoggins, president of NationaLease. "As leaders in the industry, they seize every opportunity to gain the competitive advantage in their marketplace and exceed customer expectations by staying engaged, focused, and fully committed."

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COMPETITION WATCH: Transpro Freight wins Markel safety award

TORONTO, Ont. -- Transpro Freight has received a Platinum Plus safety award from Markel Insurance.

The award was earned by placing within the safest 5% of 1,000 Canadian carriers evaluated by Markel.

Silvy Wright, president and CEO, Markel Insurance Company of Canada said, "It is our distinct pleasure to recognize Transpro's commitment to safety and continuous improvement...particularly, the commitment to road safety and the uninterrupted flow of goods in Canada."

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Dana wins award for lightweight aluminum driveshaft

DALLAS, Texas -- Dana has received a Frost & Sullivan technical innovation award for its Spicer Diamond Series Driveshaft, which uses a unique welding process to join an aluminum tube to steel u-joints, reducing weight by up to 100 lbs, the company announced.

In an interview with Truck News at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition, Santiago Salazar, senior director, global product planning, said the new aluminum driveshaft will also be more resistant to corrosion than its steel counterparts.

The lightweight driveshaft, initially announced at this year's Mid-America Trucking Show, is set to roll out commercially in the first quarter of 2012, Salazar indicated.

Dana developed a new welding process called 'magnetic pulse welding,' which allows it to attach dissimilar metals, something that has traditionally proved difficult.

In addition to using lighter weight aluminum for the tube, Dana was also able to eliminate the centre bearing for further weight savings. Salazar said the Spicer Diamond Series Driveshaft is the industry's first one-piece aluminum driveshaft.

The new lightweight driveshaft is one of several developments Dana has been trumpeting to help fleets lower their operating costs.

"Understanding how best to minimize our customers' cost per tonne mile driven is critical to maximizing value," Salazar said.

Other technologies Dana has developed specifically to minimize cost per tonne mile include: Spicer Life Series (SPL) Service-Free U-Joints, which are permanently lubricated for reduced maintenance costs; and the Spicer Pro-40 Tandem Drive Axle, a 40,000-lb tandem axle that reduces weight by 100 lbs and reduces parasitic losses. The Pro-40 will be of limited use in Canada where 46,000-lb-rated tandem axles are the norm, but Salazar said the new driveshaft will be popular north of the border.

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