2023 Best Fleets to Drive For:
C.A.T. Inc. and Chief Carriers, Inc. Take Overall Winner Awards
Best Overall Large and Small Carriers deliver a broad range of innovative programs and a commitment to team engagement
ORLANDO, Florida – (Trailer Technician) – Earlier today, during Truckload 2023: Orlando at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Centre, two for-hire carriers were named the Overall Winners of the 2023 Best Fleets to Drive For®.
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge presented the Best Overall Fleet in the small carrier category to Chief Carriers, Inc. of Grand Island, NE. The award was sponsored by Eleos Technologies.
The Best Overall Fleet in the large carrier category was presented to C.A.T. Inc. of Coteau-du-Lac, QC. The award was sponsored by TruckRight.
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.
Both of this year’s overall winners represent firsts for the program.
C.A.T is the first fleet in over a decade to winner the overall award in its first year as a Best Fleet.
“Most participants need multiple years to progress from Finalist to Top 20 to Overall Winner”, said Jane Jazrawy, CarriersEdge CEO. “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.”
Chief Carriers represents a first of a different kind – it’s General Manager, Andrew Winkler, is the first person to win the overall award at 2 different companies, having previously worked with Hall-of-Famer Grand Island Express.
“Seeing Chief Carriers progress in the past few years, it’s not surprising that they won the overall award”, Jazrawy noted. “They clearly have a plan for developing driver support programs, and their scores across all categories show that the plan is working.”
TCA President Jim Ward agrees. “Year after year, the overall winners are truly changing the game,” he said. “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.
About Best Fleets to Drive For
Launched in 2008, Best Fleets to Drive For® is the only annual program dedicated to uncovering the best workplaces in the North American trucking industry. Produced by CarriersEdge, in partnership with Truckload Carriers Association, Best Fleets to Drive For recognizes the for-hire fleets providing exceptional workplace experiences for their company drivers and independent contractors. www.bestfleetstodrivefor.com
About CarriersEdge
CarriersEdge is a leading provider of online driver training for the trucking industry. With a comprehensive library of safety and compliance courses, supported by advanced management and reporting functions, CarriersEdge helps over two thousand fleets train their drivers without sacrificing miles or requiring people to come in on weekends. www.carriersedge.com
About Truckload Carriers Association
Located in Alexandria, Virginia, TCA is the only trade association whose sole focus is the truckload segment of the motor carrier industry. The association represents dry van, refrigerated, flatbed, tanker, and intermodal container carriers operating throughout North America. Founded in 1938, the TCA represents operators of over 220,000 trucks, which collectively produce revenue of more than $40 billion in annual truckload revenue. www.truckload.org
