A new IDEA to honour great drivers

GREENBELT, MD. — Safe driving doesn’t get the attention bad driving often garners, but news of a new award honouring those will proven skills behind the wheel may help level that imbalance a little bit.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), which describes itself as “an international not-for-profit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico” with the mission of promoting “commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry and policy makers,” wants to recognize outstanding drivers and has created the International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA).

According to the CVSA, those qualified for the IDEA award are “individuals who go above and beyond the performance of their duties as a professional truck or bus driver, distinguishing themselves conspicuously and beyond the call of duty through the achievement of safe operation and compliance carried out with evident distinction for an extended period of time, beyond the normal service of duty.”

Additionally, an IDEA winner must have:

• At least 25 cumulative years of accident-free driving in a commercial motor vehicle with a clean driving record for the past three years
• No felony convictions
• No safety-related driving suspensions in the past three years
• No driver violations in the past three years, excluding form and manner violations

The winner will receive a trophy, a monetary award and a medallion to place on his or her truck or bus, all of which will be presented in September in Boise, Idaho at the organization’s Annual Conference and Exhibition.

If you would like to nominate a driver, the CVSA is accepting nominations between January 5, 2015 and February 27, 2015. See the CVSA link for more details and the entry form.