PHOENIX, Az. –MacKinnon Transport has been named winner of the second annual Volvo Trucks Safety Award, the second Canuck fleet to win the award in as many years.

Winning in the small fleet category was US-based Upper Lakes Foods.

“I am proud to say that our industry has continued to invest in safety -even during the difficult economic times we have been through recently,” said Ron Huibers, Volvo senior vice-president, sales and marketing. “As it is at Volvo Trucks, safety is an integral part of the corporate cultures at both MacKinnon Transport and Upper Lakes Foods, and that doesn’t happen without consistent, sustained effort at every level.”

The award was co-sponsored this year by Michelin. Volvo’s safety award looks at all nominated US and Canadian fleets with at least five units and measures their accident frequency rates using US DoT data. Two awards are given -one for fleets accumulating more than 20 million miles (MacKinnon) and one for fleets running less than 20 million miles (Upper Lakes Foods). Last year, Bison Transport won the award for fleets running over 20 million miles.

MacKinnon Transport, based in Guelph, Ont., runs 270 trucks and in 2009 had zero recordable accidents during 25.2 million miles of operations, Volvo announced. MacKinnon credits a safety program that begins with hiring quality drivers and then giving them comprehensive training and support. The company says it rigorously maintains its vehicles and applies operational standards to the fleet and safety equipment. It’s also a user of electronic on-board recorders.

“The culture at MacKinnon Transport is a safety-first attitude,” said Evan MacKinnon, president and CEO. “In addition to the various safety programs and procedures we have in place, everyone is encouraged to speak freely if they’re aware of something that could be unsafe. It’s one of the key reasons why we’ve been able to attract and retain such a great group of people -including drivers. The safety features that are in the Volvo truck are really second to none, and we have a lot of drivers who want to drive a Volvo for that reason. We wouldn’t win an award like this without a company-wide commitment to safety. And our drivers are at the forefront of that commitment.”

Upper Lakes Foods is based in Cloquet, Minn. and operates 42 trucks. In 2009, it had no recordable accidents while travelling 2.9 million miles.

MacKinnon and Upper Lakes Foods both receive $25,000 to spend on their respective safety programs.