On January 9, the National Tank Truck Carriers named eight professional tank truck drivers as Champion Finalists in its selection process for the association’s Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year program. One of the eight will ultimately emerge as the Grand Champion and receive the coveted Usher Trophy named for one of the NTTC’s founding fathers, the late William A Usher Sr.
The Grand Champion will be revealed at the NTTC’s Annual Conference in Toronto ON, Canada on April 16. This contest year marks the fifth anniversary of this first-class driver recognition program exclusively sponsored by NTTC member Protective Insurance of Carmel IN.
“Once again our distinguished judges have identified eight of the best in our business,” said NTTC Chairman Lee Miller of Miller Transporters. “These eight professionals represent several unique, challenging service segments in our industry including fuel, chemicals, food, and agricultural products. Their collective commitment to safety is incredibly impressive and deserves the respect and congratulations of the entire tank truck community.”
NTTC President Daniel R Furth, added: “Each year our judges have an incredibly difficult task given the high quality of the entire applicant pool. I want to recognize all of our applicants and our five judges for another great effort in our fifth anniversary year. Special thanks are due to all of these fine people as our program’s entire success is wholly predicated on their shared professionalism across the trucking industry.”
The 2017-18 Champion Finalists:
Dennis Rollins, Florida Rock & Tank Lines Inc, Jacksonville FL
Paul Emerson, Foodliner Inc, Dubuque IA
David Kuehn, Gorski Bulk Transport, Oldcastle ON, Canada
William Donald McGarity, Grammer Industries Inc, Columbus IN
William “Scott” Harrison, K-Limited Carrier Ltd, Toledo OH
Ryan Nelson, Quality Carriers Inc, Tampa FL
Kelly Lien, Solar Transport, W Des Moines IA
Daniel Byars, United Petroleum Transports, Oklahoma City OK
The eight Champion Finalists will now advance to the final round of the selection process to be held on January 30 in Arlington Va. A distinguished panel of industry officials will judge the contestants on their knowledge of the tank truck industry, dedication to safety, ability to communicate the industry’s messages, and overall safe driving record, along with their positive community efforts outside of their driving responsibility.
The 2017-2018 Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year Grand Champion will be announced in Toronto during NTTC’s 70th Annual Conference & Exhibits on April 15-17 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. During the Grand Champion’s one-year term, he will serve as the NTTC spokesperson for the industry, attending NTTC safety-focused events throughout the year. The Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year Award furthers NTTC’s mission to champion safety and success in the tank truck community through advocacy and education.