David Boyer Announced as Trucking’s National Driver of the Year
Long Beach, CA… The American Trucking
Associations’ Safety Management Council recognized outstanding drivers,
executives and trucking companies at the Safety, Security and Human Resources
National Conference and Exhibition in Long Beach, California. David Boyer, a
professional truck driver with ABF Freight and an America’s Road Team Captain,
was honored as trucking’s 2018 National Driver of the Year.
“The trucking industry is made up of
millions of individuals whose primary focus day to day is on safety – how to
practice safe driving, incentivize safety, and enhance safety outcomes on a
large scale,” said ATA President & CEO Chris Spear. “Because trucking
is defined by our approach to safety, ATA and ATA’s Safety Management Council
understand how important it is to recognize leaders in the safety field, like
David Boyer, and we work hard to celebrate their achievements.”
The National Driver of the Year Award
annually recognizes one exceptional driver for noteworthy and career-long
professional achievements, holding a stellar safety record, and maintaining
dedication to keeping the roads safe. The driver is selected from a pool of
exceptional state Drivers of the Year submitted by ATA’s affiliated state
trucking associations. Each candidates’ qualifications are first reviewed by a
group of industry safety professional judges. These judges then narrow the
field of nominees to a group of finalists who are judged by an impartial panel
of Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and law enforcement representatives, who
select the award winner. The 2018 National Driver of the Year Award is
sponsored by EROAD.
Boyer, who attended an October 17 White
House event alongside Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in which she told
President Trump about his achievements, is in his 47th year as a professional
truck driver. He has driven more than 5 million safe miles throughout his
career.
Boyer is a 40-year veteran of ABF Freight
and has worked for only one other trucking company in his decorated career. He
regularly operates twin trailers, over the road between Wytheville, Virginia
and Memphis, Tennessee and drives an average of 150,000 miles per year. During
his meeting with President Trump, Boyer described the thousands of great jobs
available in trucking that he sees advertised on the highways of Virginia and
Tennessee.
“David is a first-rate truck driver and
representative of our industry, always jumping at a chance to talk about safety
or share his trucking experiences with the motoring public,” said ATA EVP,
Industry Affairs and COO Elisabeth Barna. “His commitment to the trucking
industry, his family, and his company are as impressive as his safe driving
record and we could not be more pleased that the selection committee chose
David as the 2018 National Driver of the Year.”
In October, Boyer coordinated high school
safety demonstrations through ATA’s Share the Road safety program, teaching
thousands of Virginia and West Virginia students about truck blind spots,
stopping distances and distracted driving. He hosts annual multi-week safety
demonstrations for young drivers each year in Virginia and West Virginia.
As a prolific truck driving championships
competitor at both the state and national levels, Boyer has won two state
titles and appeared at the National Truck Driving Championships. He was also
awarded the 2016 Virginia Governor’s Transportation Safety Award, which was
presented by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, named the 2018 Virginia
Driver of the Year, and has been recognized with 39 years of annual safety
awards. Boyer was named an America’s Road Team Captain in 2011.
Long Beach also played host to the
presentation of several other key trucking safety and security awards.
The Trucking Association of New York was
honored with the 2018 ATA Excellence in Safety Award, given annually to a state
trucking association making innovative and impactful progress on promoting
safety to their members. TANY hosted 13 safety council meetings, 28 education
sessions, 6 Safety Breaks, and hosted a state truck driving championship for 88
truck drivers representing 21 motor carriers.
TANY staff and members are active in both
the state and nationally, playing roles in the Commercial Vehicle Safety
Alliance, North American Transportation Management Institute, and the Institute
for Traffic Safety Management. Locally, they are active in the Share the Road
Program and sit on advisory committees for training schools.
To keep their members informed, TANY
publishes a quarterly magazine; distributes a monthly safety newsletter; and
partnered with the US Department of Transportation, Transcom and their state
Thruway Authority to disseminate crucial information concerning road closures,
traffic and weather advisories.
The ATA President’s Award was given to three
companies who exhibited safety excellence in their daily operations:
•Sinclair Trucking Company, a for-hire, tank truck
and heavy hauler operation •
•Cargo Transporters Inc., a for-hire, general
commodities truckload motor carrier headquartered in Claremont, North Carolina
and operating in the 48 contiguous states, for fleets between 25 million and
100 million miles and;
•Hub Group, a for-hire, intermodal operation,
located in Chicago, Illinois and operates in 48 states for fleets with more
than 100 million miles.
Security, an increasingly critical topic in
the trucking industry, was also recognized at the conference. Wider Group Inc.
was presented the Excellence in Security Award for the company’s strong human
resource pre-employment practices including an internally developed risk
analysis assessment; robust termination and administration procedures; a
multi-tiered approach to twice-a-year security training; a dynamic security
program monitoring adjustment protocol; an embrace of on-board and off-board
security technologies; and, social media monitoring to ensure an enduring and
protective culture as demonstrated by a 100% year-on-year reduction in the
number of emergencies handled by the security team. The company’s culture of
security has also been demonstrated by a two year run with no cargo thefts and
no tractors or trailers stolen.
Old Dominion Freight Line claimed the
Excellence in Claims and Loss Prevention Award for less-than-truckload
carriers. The company showcased the ability to keep total company claims ratios
and claims frequencies low; resolving 94% of claims in 30 days or less;
experiencing a 14% decrease in total claims paid between 2016 and 2017; and, a
17% decrease in total dollars paid on claims during that same time period.
Those results are attributed to significant and ongoing training efforts in the
classroom, outside education, company-produced training videos and networked
content, and an embrace of technology solutions.
M & W Transportation Inc. was named the
winner of the Excellence in Claims and Loss Prevention Award for truckload
carriers. Judges noted the company’s ability to keep total company claims
ratios and claims frequencies low; increasing resolution of claims in 30 days
or less by 58% year-over-year; experiencing a 32% decrease in total claims paid
between 2016 and 2017; and, a 22% decrease in total dollars paid on claims
during that same time period, can be attributed to solid transportation
security and accident reporting planning, and robust employment policies.
In keeping with ATA’s efforts to engage the
law enforcement community, SMC awarded the Cargo Theft Prevention Distinguished
Service Award (sponsored by Wider Group, Inc.) to Special Agent Juan Rios,
Texas Department of Public Safety’s Cargo Theft Task Force. This award is
made based on recommendations by the council’s members, and recognizes a law
enforcement professional or a law enforcement agency that has gone above and
beyond to work with a motor carrier or the industry as a whole to better
understand the nature of cargo theft, help to mitigate cargo theft, or provide
extraordinary assistance in responding to a cargo theft incident.
ATA’s Safety Management Council and
Transportation Security Council’s Safety, Security and Human Resources National
Conference and Exhibition began Nov. 12 at The Hyatt Regency in Long Beach,
California.