Terrance Smith and Jack Fielding Awarded Grand Prizes in Truckload Carriers Association/Randall-Reilly Driver of the Year Contests
Grapevine, Texas (PRWEB) March 27, 2014 -- Two professional truck drivers have demonstrated such impressive safety and service records that they have been named the grand prizewinners in the 2013 Driver of the Year competition by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and its partner, Randall-Reilly of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The announcement was made March 25th during TCA’s Annual Convention in Grapevine, Texas.
Terrance Smith of Miramichi, New Brunswick, who is leased to SLH Transport, Inc., of Kingston, Ontario, was honored as the Owner Operator of the Year, while Jack Fielding of McKellar, Ontario, who drives for Bison Transport of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was honored as the Company Driver of the Year.
The Driver of the Year contests, sponsored by Cummins of Columbus, Indiana, and Chevron Delo® of San Ramon, California, recognize the top company drivers and owner operators in the U.S. and Canada, who provide reliable and safe truck transportation in moving North America's goods. Amy Boerger, general manager - field sales and support for Cummins, came to the stage to announce that Smith won in the owner operator category, while Randy Brillhart, Chevron Lubricants’ heavy duty commercial channel manager, North America, announced Fielding had been chosen for the company driver category.
Both men were selected for their ability to operate safely, efforts to enhance trucking’s image, and positive contributions to their communities. Since he is an owner operator, Smith’s skills as a businessperson were also judged.
“It’s every driver’s dream to be named Driver of the Year,” said Brad Holthaus, Randall-Reilly’s executive associate producer. “To reach this level of trucking excellence requires much dedication, loyalty and effort, which these two men have clearly shown. Their records prove that they deserve this honor.”
Smith, who has been driving for more than 42 years, has travelled more than 4.7 million miles without an accident. He is a life member of the Owner-Operator’s Business Association of Canada and past recipient of Canada’s “Highway Star of the Year” by highwaySTAR magazine. In 2008, he was named a TCA Highway Angel for helping a woman at a truck stop who was lost and disoriented.
When not on the road, Smith is busy with community and charity work. A Mason and a Shriner, he participates in an Adopt-A-Family program, Convoy for a Cure, and Big Daddy Show and Shine. He is also a former Trucker Buddy to a fifth-grade class in New York.
When asked to describe Smith, Paul Cooper, president of SLH Transport, said, “From the beginning, it was clear Terry was a different breed. He’s a solid individual, a difference maker… someone who adds value beyond being a trusted trucking partner.”
Jack Fielding, the Company Driver of the Year winner, has driven more than 4.5 million, accident-free miles during his nearly 37-year career. At Bison, he has won several safe driving and Driver of the Month awards and sits on the Driver Advisory Board, where he shares his knowledge and experience for the betterment of the company.
Fielding is also an in-cab instructor, which allows him to mentor new truck drivers. He recently finished serving as a member of the Ontario Trucking Association’s Road Knights, professional drivers who speak to the public about road safety and the vital role trucking plays in the transportation of goods.
According to Donald Streuber, Bison’s president and CEO, “To be a professional driver is a life choice, and Jack has incorporated his home and work life as one large family. He has dedicated his life to this industry and has become a leader within our organization.”
As the Drivers of the Year, Smith and Fielding have won 2013 Ram 2500 pickup trucks powered by Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel. Both trucks were provided Cummins and Chevron Delo®. In addition, Chevron Delo® is giving the winners a year’s supply of Delo® oil for their new vehicles.
“TCA is proud to offer these contests as a way to spotlight the career accomplishments of amazing drivers,” said Tom Kretsinger, Jr., TCA’s 2013-14 chairman and the president of American Central Transport, Inc., of Liberty, Missouri. “The general public may not realize how much skill it takes to successfully blend a personal life with many hours out on the road. Both Terry and Jack have managed to make it work, and we’re pleased to be able to honor them accordingly.”
For further information on the competition, please visit http://www.truckload.org/Driver-of-the-Year and follow TCA on Facebook—http://www.truckload.org/Facebook—and Twitter—http://www.truckload.org/Twitter. You can also learn about this year’s Annual Convention on both social media sites with the hashtag #2014TCA.
Photos of the winners accepting their awards: http://bit.ly/OCb44P.
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TCA is the only national trade association whose collective sole focus is the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry. The association represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed, and intermodal container carriers operating in the 48 contiguous states, as well as Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Representing operators of more than 200,000 trucks, which collectively produce annual revenue of more than $20 billion, TCA is an organization tailored to specific truckload carrier needs.
Michael Nellenbach, Truckload Carriers Association, http://www.truckload.org, +1 (703) 838-1950, [email protected]
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