Kriska Holdings Ltd. and Britton Transport Inc. were honored with a 2014 Volvo Trucks Safety Award during a ceremony at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, Calif. Recognized for their exceptional safety performance and training programs, each company received $25,000 to further develop their safety-related efforts.
The Volvo Trucks Safety Awards recognize the outstanding safety achievements of North American fleets. Michelin America Truck Tires again joined Volvo Trucks as a supporting sponsor of the awards.
“By investing in innovative training programs, Kriska Holdings Ltd. and Britton Transport Inc. achieved tremendous safety performance during the past year,” said Gӧran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Marketing. “These results show that safety does not happen by chance, it happens by choice.”
“We’re proud to be part of an award that brings honor and recognition to the safest fleets in North America and increased attention to the issue of safety,” said Mike Cain, Michelin vice president of Original Equipment. “Kriska Holdings and Britton Transport demonstrate the clear benefits of establishing a safety-first culture and providing drivers with the best training and equipment available.”
Now entering its sixth year, the annual Volvo Trucks Safety Awards are open to all motor carriers in the U.S. and Canada with more than five Class 8 trucks. The awards are given in two categories: One for fleets with more than 20 million miles of annual operation and the other for those with less than 20 million miles. Winners are selected using several criteria, including accident frequency rates, using the U.S. Department of Transportation definition of a “recordable accident,” and their safety and accident prevention training programs.
Kriska Holdings Ltd. of Prescott, Ontario, won the Volvo Trucks Safety Award in the over 20 million miles category. Family-owned and operated, the Kriska group of companies was founded in 1978. Located south of Ottawa, Ontario, on the Canada-U.S. border, Kriska Holdings operates a fleet of 340 trucks specializing in transborder service. In 2013, the company had an accident frequency rate of just .25, while logging more than 32 million miles in operation.
Kriska Holdings provides its new drivers with at least four weeks of in-cab training from one of 16 veteran driver trainers. Drivers also have the ability to enhance their skills and knowledge through the use of the company’s in-house driver simulator. Kriska Holdings also developed a Safety & Performance Bonus Program, which rewards Kriska operators with cash incentives for driving three months without a safety incident.
“Safety is of preeminent importance to Kriska, so it is a huge honor to be awarded a Volvo Safety Award for 2014,” said Jonathan Wahba, chief operating officer of Kriska Holdings. “From the time an employee enters our organization as a trainee, through training and then into a truck, we reinforce the importance of safety at every corner and at every turn.”
Britton Transport Inc. of Grand Forks, N.D., received the Volvo Trucks Safety Award in the under 20 million miles category. Britton Transport began operations in 1980 as a truck brokerage service. Britton Transport handles a diverse range of cargo, including machinery, building materials, foodstuffs and general commodities.
For current CDL holders with less than two years of experience, Britton Transport developed a Driver Finishing program. This nine-week program offers inexperienced drivers an opportunity to gain hands‐on experience from Britton Transport’s expert driver trainers. Britton Transport also emphasizes continuous learning, with each of its drivers being assigned at least two required safety courses per quarter.
With a fleet of 97 trucks, Britton Transport had an accident frequency of .32 in over 9.2 million miles of operation.
“We are thrilled to be the recipient of the 2014 Volvo Trucks Safety Award,” said Jim Stockeland, president of Britton Transport. “This award does not speak to one person’s efforts, or even a department’s efforts, but to a continual effort on behalf of the entire company to purposefully protect others.”
