ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) is now accepting nominations for the fifth annual Best Fleets to Drive For contest and survey.

Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual evaluation of the best employers in the trucking industry. The survey is open to all for-hire trucking companies with 10 or more trucks, regardless of TCA membership status. Participating fleets are evaluated against a broad range of criteria reflecting current human resources best practices. Nominations will be accepted until Oct. 31.

The fifth instalment of the awards comes with a couple of changes to help simplify the process, according to organizers. For one, after a company has been nominated by one of its company drivers or owner/operators and agrees to participate, it will be asked to provide more details electronically rather than through a telephone interview. CarriersEdge will still discuss the survey materials with the company via telephone, but the new process is designed to “greatly reduce” interview time.

“The change will create one centralized, integrated system that allows for easier and timelier communications between nominated companies and TCA/CarriersEdge,” officials said.

New questions have also been added to this year’s survey. Drivers will be asked how much they trust the company they have nominated. Companies will be asked if they have researched and understand the reasons why their people leave. The survey also asks how much companies invest in developing their drivers; for example, do they have a line item in their budget for training and other driver development activities?

After a company has provided the necessary information electronically, interviews will be conducted as necessary with senior management and a random sampling of the company’s drivers. Top finishers will be identified as Best Fleets to Drive For, and the highest scoring fleets in each of the Company Driver and Owner Operator categories will be named that category’s overall winner.

“When we first launched Best Fleets, it was virtually unknown, and some companies were skeptical about getting involved,” said Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge, which conducts the survery for TCA. “Now, it has become a huge badge of honour to be named a winner, and especially an overall category winner. Companies love the visibility it brings them… and their recruiting departments make the most of it by plastering the contest logo in their marketing pieces and on their equipment. Everyone wants to drive for, and be, a Best Fleet.”

“The Best Fleets to Drive For program has allowed us to take the information we have been given and use it to improve in all areas of our business. We are excited each year for what Best Fleets stands for because it gives us the ability to know what works and what does not work,” said Trent Dye, director and general manager for Paramount Freight Systems, an overall category winner for two consecutive years.

To view the program’s Facebook page, visit www.facebook.com/bestfleetstodrivefor. Company drivers and owner/operators may nominate trucking companies by completing an application form on www.BestFleetsToDriveFor.com.