After a 15-year marriage with the Truckload Carriers Affiliation (TCA), the Greatest Fleets to Drive For program is hanging out as a standalone program that hopes to broaden participation and improve its instructional outreach.
This system, run by on-line coaching agency CarriersEdge, and TCA mutually agreed to finish their affiliation on the finish of their contract this 12 months. Underneath the phrases of their earlier association, CarriersEdge ran this system and TCA promoted it, with awards doled out on the TCA’s annual conference.
Whereas the partnership was helpful, founder Mark Murrell stated the association restricted this system’s progress.
“It wasn’t acceptable for us to do an excessive amount of direct promotion of this system,” he stated in an interview with TruckNews.com. “There have been sure issues we actually couldn’t do. We now have extra alternatives to advertise this system and share the data past what we had been capable of do earlier than.”
Over time, Murrell stated the notion was the Greatest Fleets program was solely open to truckload fleets. However LTL, tanker, and in some instances even personal fleets (if included and run individually from the mother or father firm) can participate. Program directors hope to extend consciousness of that and to develop this system accordingly.
“One of many issues we realized is, once you work with an affiliation, the notion is that this system is just for that affiliation section,” stated Murrell. “We actually need to develop that, and get a broader perspective on what is occurring within the trade. It must be the Greatest Fleets to Drive For, not the Greatest Truckload Fleets to Drive For. We’ve had some participation from different segments, however not as a lot as we’d like. We need to get a broader cross-section of the trade collaborating.”
“Little or no in regards to the Greatest Fleets program will likely be altering.”
Mark Murrell, Greatest Fleets to Drive For
Plans are already underway to current the awards at what will likely be an education-intensive however brief convention starting subsequent 12 months. Murrell desires collaborating fleets to know this system itself and its requirements gained’t change; it should proceed to take care of a excessive stage of scrutiny.
“In brief, little or no in regards to the Greatest Fleets program will likely be altering,” Murrell stated in a letter to collaborating fleets. “Since its launch 15 years in the past, Greatest Fleets to Drive For has change into the premier office analysis program within the trucking trade. The analysis is rigorous and thorough, and making it to the Prime 20 is even more durable. We have now no plans to vary any of that.”
TCA announcement
That adopted an e-mail to TCA members during which TCA president Jim Ward introduced: “Over the previous two years, we have now engaged in discussions with CarriersEdge relating to the dedication of winners and our want for extra involvement in and understanding of the choice course of. Whereas we had been unable to succeed in a mutually agreeable decision, we have now made the choice to conclude our partnership and transfer ahead in a distinct path as soon as our contract expires this 12 months.”
One of many essential components of Greatest Fleets that Murrell stated will proceed, and even develop, is sharing of one of the best practices revealed by the choice course of.
“We’re wanting ahead to having extra skill to share all the data we get [through the selection process],” stated Murrell. “There’s a lot info we accumulate and we sit up for with the ability to do one thing broader with that and to share that info on a extra detailed stage.”
He added this system doesn’t expose any info collaborating fleets choose to not share, and that non-public info is closely protected.
Murrell notes this system has grown to be a significant endeavor, requiring about six full-time staff for about 10 weeks of the 12 months. The assets devoted to this system will likely be maintained, he assured. The Greatest Fleets to Drive For program will proceed on its regular schedule, with nominations opening after Labor Day. Extra details about the 2024 awards displays and convention will likely be launched within the coming weeks.
“This system goes to proceed and all of the issues individuals are used to will proceed as they’ve,” stated Murrell. “We’re additionally going to have a look at increasing it in methods we couldn’t fairly do once we had been working with an affiliation.”
