Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc., and Paramount Freight Systems Named Overall Winners of 2011 Best Fleets to Drive For

Third annual survey and contest recognizes best workplaces for truck drivers

San Diego, California:

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), an organization dedicated to representing the interests of truckload carriers, and CarriersEdge, the leading provider of online driver improvement programs, are pleased to announce the overall winners of the third annual Best Fleets to Drive For survey and contest. Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc. (FCC) of Fremont, Nebraska, was selected as the Best Fleet for Company Drivers, sponsored by Marsh, Inc. Paramount Freight Systems (PFS) of Ft. Myers, Florida, was selected as the Best Fleet for Owner Operators.

Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual survey and contest identifying the North American for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experiences for their drivers. Nominated carriers are evaluated on the range and depth of offered programs, the overall effectiveness of those programs across key metrics, and the responses of surveyed drivers. The top finishers are identified as Best Fleets to Drive For, and the highest scoring fleet in each category is named overall winner.

Both companies were officially presented with their awards on March 15, 2011, as part of the TCA Annual Convention at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and San Diego Convention Center in California.

In 2009, when the first Best Fleets to Drive For program was launched, Fremont Contract Carriers was named the overall winner in the “Over 100 Power Units” category (the contest no longer classifies carriers by size). Today, the company continues to excel, boasting one of the most comprehensive bonus programs of any fleet in the 2011 survey. FCC rewards its drivers for mile production, customer service (on-time performance), fuel performance, minimizing out-of-route miles, and company profitability, in addition to the standard safety and referral bonuses. It balances compensation with strong driver/dispatcher relations, solid maintenance programs, and continuing investments in safety technology.

As one of FCC’s drivers commented: “Every time I think about the grass being greener elsewhere, all I have to do is make a mental checklist of the things I want out of a company. FCC has nearly all of them. Definitely more than any other company I have worked for or am familiar with.”

Paramount Freight Systems stands out because of the exceptional way the company takes care of its independent contractors. In addition to providing steady miles and home time, PFS also serves its owner operator partners by providing a range of different insurance options at reasonable rates, quarterly surveys to collect input on the effectiveness of company programs, and an innovative “buddy” system that ensures a smooth transition for new contractors.

As the company’s nominating contractor stated: “They are a 100% owner operator company that knows how to treat owner ops. Dispatch is pro-driver and gets it done. They have 120 trucks, and everyone I talk to gets the miles and home time they need and want.”

The Best Fleet to Drive For survey and contest was open to any fleet operating 10 or more trucks, regardless of TCA membership status. Fleets had to be nominated by at least one of their drivers (either a company driver or an owner operator). Nominated fleets were evaluated against a broad range of criteria reflecting current human resources best practices, such as driver compensation, pension and benefits, professional development, driver and community support, and safety record.

Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge, said, “The 2011 overall winners of this contest are clearly doing all the right things to provide a desirable workplace for their company drivers and owner operators. The testimonials that were collected through our survey demonstrate that despite a recession, innovation and high standards can still attract and retain satisfied drivers.”

John Kaburick, outgoing chairman of TCA and the president of Earl L. Henderson Trucking Company, Salem, Illinois, said, “All twenty of the companies named as Best Fleets finalists in January have outstanding driver programs, but FCC and PFS, in particular, have risen above the rest. We are pleased to be able to honor them for excellence within the trucking industry.”