SAN DIEGO, CA –A familiar and well-respected Ontario-based carrier has been named one of the safest fleets in North America

Kriska Holdings, of Prescott, ON, collected the 2014 Volvo Trucks Safety Award in the large fleet (over 20 million miles a year) category.

Volvo Trucks President Goran Nyberg presented Kriska’s CEO Mark Seymour with the accolade and a check for $25,000 during a ceremony at the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) annual management conference in San Diego Monday.

Nyberg says the money is to be spent on safety initiatives, and Seymour says he will match the amount and put the total towards rewarding particularly deserving safe drivers with vacation time

This Volvo award is given out on an annual basis and is based on the recipient’s safety and training programs, as well as their safety scores in Canada and the United States. The winner in the smaller category was Britton, Transport, of Grand Forks, North Dakota.  

“This award is a testament to the caliber of driver we have at Kriska,” noted Seymour.

“Our company drivers and owner-operators are true professionals, who treat the safety of the motoring public with the utmost of care and importance. Our drivers represent the very best of the trucking industry, and this award is something all of our employees at Kriska – both inside the office and over the road – should be very proud of.”

Kriska provides its new drivers with at least four weeks of in-cab training from one of 16 veteran driver trainers. Drivers also have the ability to enhance their skills and knowledge through the use of the company’s in-house driver simulator. Kriska also developed a Safety & Performance Bonus Program, which rewards Kriska operators with cash incentives for driving three months without a safety incident.

 “By investing in innovative training programs, Kriska achieved tremendous safety performance during the past year,” said Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Marketing. “These results show that safety does not happen by chance, it happens by choice.”

 Kriska, founded in 1978, is a privately held, family owned Canadian corporation.