ORLANDO, Fla. – Chief Carriers, Inc. of Grand Island, Nebraska, and C.A.T. Inc. of Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec Canada, were named the overall winners of the 2023 Best Fleets to Drive For by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) on March 6 at Truckload 2023: Orlando at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.
TCA and CarriersEdge presented the Best Overall Fleet award in the small carrier category to Chief Carriers.
Chief Carriers’ general manager, Andrew Winkler, is the first person to win the overall award at two different companies, having previously worked with Hall-of-Famer Grand Island Express, according to a news release.
“Seeing Chief Carriers progress in the past few years, it’s not surprising that they won the overall award,” CarriersEdge CEO Jan Jazrawy said. “They clearly have a plan for developing driver support programs, and their scores across all categories show that the plan is working.”
The Best Overall Fleet award in the large carrier category was presented to C.A.T. The award was sponsored by TruckRight.
C.A.T is the first fleet in more than a decade to winner the overall award in its first year as a Best Fleet, the news release noted.
“Most participants need multiple years to progress from Finalist to Top 20 to Overall Winner,” Jazrawy said. “For C.A.T. to make it not just into the Top 20, but to the top of the list, is a remarkable achievement. They’ve put a huge effort into their programs this past year, and that effort was evident throughout the evaluation process.”
Now in its 15th year, Best Fleets to Drive For, is an annual survey and contest that recognizes the North American for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experience for their drivers. To be considered, fleets must be nominated by a company driver or independent contractor working with them, after which they are evaluated across a broad range of categories reflecting current best practices in human resources.
The highest scoring fleets are identified as Best Fleets to Drive For and then grouped according to size. The highest-scoring fleet in each category is named the overall winner.
“Year after year, the overall winners are truly changing the game,” said TCA President Jim Ward. “It’s imperative that fleets establish driver-centric offerings which attract and retain a skilled workforce while establishing programs that improve the work-life balance for their employees. Chief Carriers, Inc. and C.A.T. Inc. have done just that, and their results show that those efforts pay off.”
The Best Fleets to Drive For survey and contest is open to any for-hire fleet operating 10 or more trucks, regardless of TCA membership status. Nominated fleets are evaluated in areas such as driver compensation, pension and benefits, professional development, driver and community support, and safety record.
The contest accepts nominations from Labor Day to Halloween each year and reveals its Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For winners each January. The highest-scoring fleet in each category is named an Overall Winner during TCA’s Annual Convention.
For additional information on the Best Fleets to Drive For program, follow the hashtag #BestFleets23 on social media, or visit www.bestfleetstodrivefor.com.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
