National Carriers’ Jill Maschmeier wins Clare C. Casey safety award

“My story is, 20 years ago, I came to work for National Carriers … [and] my partner in crime, [compliance manager] Heather Wright and the whole National Carriers team, went to work and we turned our company from being a company that was in trouble to one that was a leader in the industry,” Maschmeier said. “And that’s not an easy task. To complete that, there are a couple of things you need to do – you need to be humble and kind, and have God on your side when you have to make those difficult calls, and there’s many of them.

“So my point is, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” Maschmeier added.

The Clare C. Casey Award is named after longtime TCA member Clare C. Casey, who died of cancer in 1989. Casey was a staff member that was instrumental in creating the safety council, explained John Lyboldt, TCA president. The first Clare C. Casey Award was presented in 1990.

“This award is a time-honored tradition of the TCA Safety and Security Division, which exemplifies our industry’s impressive dedication to safety,” Lyboldt said. “Because our safety professionals often go unnoticed throughout their careers, this award was established to recognize an individual who truly exemplifies a career devoted to improving safety on our nation’s roadways.”

In introducing Maschmeier, Lyboldt noted the role she has played in promoting a safe culture.

“This safety award honors someone whose actions and achievements have had a profound positive contribution to the trucking industry, to the TCA Safety and Security Division, and has consistently been a vocal advocate for safety,” he said. “I’ve been told that this year’s judging included a large number of new entries and new faces into the contest, highlighting the pre-eminence of this competition in our safety community. However, in the end, our judges concluded that one nominee stood out in the group of great candidates. Our winner showed a true commitment to spreading the message of safety through active involvement at the state level and dedication to the larger trucking community.”

During the meeting, TCA also handed out its Fleet Safety Awards, which were sponsored by Great West Casualty Company. In announcing the awards, Dennis Dellinger, president and CEO of Cargo Transporters, noted the tough position truckload carriers have faced in 2020.

“COVID-19 has placed our association, our industry and this nation in the unenviable position of having to change on the fly; recognizing a new norm and continuing a dedication to delivering freight in the safest way possible,” he said. “Freight is being delivered safely and safety will always play a part of our daily lives … Rather than waiting for the pandemic tide to diminish, our world moves right along. Regulatory actions such as the new hours-of-service rules and crash preventability determination program are moving forward and onward. Operating in an environment surrounded by uncertainty and new rules have proven there is no better time to be involved with a strong group of safety professionals than right now.”

Dellinger then handed over the virtual platform over to John Joines, Great West Casualty Company’s vice president of safety services.

“COVID-19 has proven itself to be a major disrupter to today’s business environment, requiring even the most well-prepared organizations to adapt to a new normal, at least for the time being,” Joines said. “While our learning and networking opportunities have been temporarily changed, rest assured, Great West Casualty Company takes great pride in sponsoring the TCA Fleet Safety Awards, which annually recognize the safest fleets in North America.”

To be considered, Joines said, a fleet must submit its DOT recordable accident numbers and total mileage. An accident frequency ratio per million miles is created and the top carriers are vetted. The top three safety performers in six different divisions are honored.

Joines called out two carriers for their performance, both of which were awarded the Grand Prize in the Small Carrier and Large Carrier Divisions.

“I would like to honor the programs of Erb International and, once again, Bison Transport for their exemplary efforts in achieving this year’s grand prize for the Small and Large divisions, respectively,” he said. “These companies have demonstrated themselves to be proven leaders in the safety field and should be celebrated.”

The TCA Safety Award winners are:

Division 1 (under 5 million miles)

1. Carbon Express

2. Kool Pak

3. Valmont Industries

Division 2 (5-14.99 million miles)

1. First Express

2. TransPro

3. Convoy Systems

Division 3 (15-24.99 million miles)

1. Kottke Trucking

2. Erb

3. Veriha Trucking

Division 4 (25-49.99 million miles)

1. Trans-West Logistics

2. Central Oregon Truck Company

3. H.O. Wolding

Division 5 (50-99.99 million miles)

1. Groupe Robert

2. May Trucking Company

3. Wilson Logistics

Division 6 (over 100 million miles)

1. Bison Transport

2. CFI

3. Landstar