C.A.T. based in Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, a rookie finalist, was the Overall Winner of the 2023 Best Fleets to Drive For in the large carrier category.

“We never thought we were going to get this award,” Karine Goyette, co-president of C.A.T told TruckNews.com during Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) annual convention in Orlando, Fla., on March 6. “It is the first year we were in the Top 20, we were happy and that was the goal. We had no expectations to be the Overall Winner and we are very, very happy.”

Listening to what people need is key and all departments at C.A.T worked very hard on improvements, Goyette said. The company focused on talent acquisition and retention.  

C.A.T is the first fleet in more than a decade to winner the overall award in its first year as a Best Fleet.

Remarkable achievement

“Most participants need multiple years to progress from finalist to Top 20 to Overall Winner,” said Jane Jazrawy, CarriersEdge CEO. “For C.A.T. to make it not just into the Top 20, but to the top of the list, is a remarkable achievement. They’ve put a huge effort into their programs this past year, and that effort was evident throughout the evaluation process.”

Now in its 15^th year, Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual survey and contest that recognizes the North American for-hire trucking companies that provide the best workplace experience for their drivers. To be considered, fleets must be nominated by a company driver or independent contractor working with them, after which they are evaluated across a broad range of categories reflecting current best practices in human resources.

The highest scoring fleets are identified as Best Fleets to Drive For and then grouped according to size. The highest-scoring fleet in each category is named the overall winner.

Telling the company’s story

Mark Murrell, CarriersEdge president said the winners pick themselves. Carriers have to answer 105 questions. “For these fleets, the answers to the questions is them telling the story of their company,” he said.

C.A.T’s Goyette said there are many more opportunities to come. “We won the award today for C.A.T. but in our group we have nine different companies. The goal is to deploy what we have done in C.A.T. to our other companies to become better and improve every year.”

Jazrawy said C.A. T. was in the program for a long time and “they figured out what kind of programs to put in, how to tell their story and shot to the top.”

Chief Carriers of Grand Island, Neb., won Best Overall Fleet in the smaller carrier category.

Meanwhile, TCA named Zach Yeakley, a professional truck driver with CFI, based in Joplin, Missouri, 2022 Highway Angel of the Year.