Groendyke Transport Inc, Enid OK, and GLS Transport, Bedford Park IL, earned the coveted trophies in National Tank Truck Carriers’ Outstanding Safety Performance Awards program for safety achievements in 2016. The trophies will be presented during NTTC’s Annual Conference & Exhibits to be held at the Fairmont Chicago in Chicago IL April 30 to May 2.
This will mark the seventh Outstanding Safety Performance Trophy for Groendyke Transport. Heil Trailer International sponsors the NTTC’s Outstanding Safety Performance Awards which recognize the best industry safety programs in two different mileage divisions.
Awarded to two carriers annually and sponsored by Heil Trailer International, the NTTC Outstanding Safety Performance Award goes to the carriers with the best overall safety record and program in the nation. Groendyke Transport won the Harvison Division (more than 15 million miles), and GLS Transport won the Sutherland Division (fewer than 15 million miles).
“The tank truck industry prides itself on its steadfast commitment to safety,” said NTTC President Daniel R Furth. “To win this award, a carrier must absolutely embrace a safety culture from the drivers’ room to the board room, and that’s exactly the case for Groendyke and GLS Transport. With Heil’s support, we are very pleased to recognize these two carriers as best in class, which underscores the NTTC’s mission to champion safety and success in our unique segment of trucking.”
Groendyke Transport won its first NTTC Outstanding Safety Performance Award in 1973, then called the Trailmobile Trophy, followed by wins in 1975, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2000, and now 2016. Prior to 2015, only one carrier earned the award each year.
“This is a profound accomplishment, and we are greatly honored to be the first and only seven-time winner of this prestigious award,” said Greg Hodgen, president of Groendyke Transport. “At Groendyke, we consider safety a company value, and each and every one of our 1,300 employees played a crucial role in earning this incredible honor.”
Groendyke Transport won the 40- to 90-million-mile category within the contest’s Harvison Division with an accident frequency of 0.373 accidents per million miles. In the Sutherland Division, GLS Transport won the 3.5- to 5-million-mile class. GLS Transport's accident frequency of zero accidents per million miles was the winning mark in that category. By winning their respective mileage classes, both motor carriers qualified as finalists for the Outstanding Safety Performance Awards.
Groendyke Transport safety manager Mike Elmenhorst and Terry Kolacki of GLS Transport will also be recognized as NTTC's Safety Professionals of the Year at the Safety Awards banquet during the Annual meeting of NTTC’s Tank Truck Safety and Security Council on June 22 in Nashville TN.
“Heil Trailer is very proud to recognize these two winning motor carriers. Congratulations to both Groendyke Transport and GLS Transport for bringing home the NTTC Outstanding Safety Performance Awards,” said EnTrans International’s Chief Executive Officer, Doug Chapple. “The two Heil trophies embody a commitment to safety and what it means within our essential industry.”