Covenant Transport Among 4 To Win Mike Russell Trucking Image Awards

Covenant Transport CVTI, truck driver Steve Fields, and fleet executive Kevin Burch have been honored with Mike Russell Trucking Image Awards, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) announced this week at its Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, California.

ATA also honored the Minnesota Trucking Association with a Mike Russell award.

"The Mike Russell Trucking Image Award is one of the highest honors we've received to date," said Joey Hogan, president and chief operating officer of Covenant Transport Services. "We're extremely appreciative of the ATA for helping us champion the Tomorrow's Truckers program to bring the excitement and energy of the trucking industry to America's youth."

Covenant started the Tomorrow's Truckers program in 2015 in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. The program, which has become part of a national effort, is designed to raise high school students' awareness of the career opportunities available within the trucking industry

The Mike Russell Trucking Image Awards are named in honor of the late Mike Russell, a trucking industry supporter and former ATA vice president of public affairs.

Fields, an America's Road Team captain and driver for YRC Freight YRCW, serves as a mentor for younger drivers and a trucking ambassador to the general public.

Burch, CEO of Jet Express, helped develop the Trucking Moves America Forward trailer wraps and Safety Sammy, ATA's mascot.

The Minnesota Trucking Association was honored for being one of the leading trucking image supporters at the state level, specifically by creating a three-pronged public relations campaign focusing on the need to develop reliable information, provide access to subject matter experts, and engage in working sessions with safety partners. Through this campaign the Minnesota Trucking Association developed a close relationship with the state DOT and the Governor's office to pass major highway safety legislation, including the Hands Free Cell Phone Law and the Truck Platooning Law.

"The image of trucking improves each year due to the efforts of these champions," said Elisabeth Barna, ATA executive vice president of industry affairs. "Today's honorees have made a substantial impact on our industry's public perception through their words and deeds. As an industry, we appreciate their efforts and encourage others to use their work as a model for improving our industry's image going forward."

Also at the meeting, Randy Guillot, president of Triple G Express of New Orleans, Louisiana, was elected ATA's next chairman. Guillot replaces Barry Pottle, CEO of Pottle's Transportation in Bangor, Maine.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be elected as chairman of ATA," Guillot said. "I look forward to spending the next year speaking up and speaking out on behalf of our industry and our association as we work to advance ATA's agenda on a number of fronts including tort reform, infrastructure, trade and most importantly safety."

Guillot is past chairman of the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, chairman of ATA's Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference, as well as treasurer and a board member of the North American Chassis Pool Cooperative.
ATA's board of directors also elected as Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, president and CEO of Garner Trucking of Findlay, Ohio, as ATA first vice chairman; Harold Sumerford Jr., CEO of J&M Tank Lines Inc. of Birmingham, Alabama, as ATA second vice chairman; as well as Dan Van Alstine, president and COO of Ruan Transportation Management Systems and Andrew Boyle, co-president of Boyle Transportation of Billerica, Massachusetts, as ATA vice chairmen. In addition, the board re-elected John M. Smith, chairman of Admiralty Holdings Inc., as secretary and John A. Smith, president and CEO of FedEx Freight, as treasurer.

ATA also honored Chris Maxwell, president & CEO of the Rhode Island Trucking Association, as the 18th recipient of the American Trucking Associations' President's Trucking Association Executives Council Leadership Award. The award was created in 2002 by ATA to honor a state trucking association leader and to create an enduring legacy for that leader and for the industry. 

Maxwell has led the ATA fight against truck-only tolling in Rhode Island. A lawsuit to reverse Rhode Island's tolling decision continues.

In other ATA news announced at the conference, Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company has signed on as the sponsor of The Heroes Truck workforce development program. Utility has supplied a 2020 4000D-X composite TBR dry van trailer that will be pulled by a 2020 Mack Anthem around the country. Both are decaled in camo and promote efforts to transition veterans into industry careers.

The association also announced its 2018-2019 LEAD graduates and the incoming class for 2019-2020. The LEAD ATA industry leadership program offers educational opportunities that incorporate real-world problem solving and advanced industry insights. Sponsored by Trimble Transportation, the program provides information about the regulatory and legislative processes as well as how ATA educates policymakers throughout those processes.

2018-2019 LEAD ATA class graduates: Wayne Bailey, FedEx Freight; Jeremy Byrd, SmartDrive Systems Inc; Brett (Sean) Connell, Bergstrom Inc.; Erica Denney, Denney Transport LTD; Wesley Dunn, RangeWay Carriers LLC; Amber Edmondson, Trailiner Corp.; Anna Faford, C&K Holdings Acquisition LLC; Cristian Garcia, Alto Systems Inc.; Soona Lee, EROAD; Allison Meiners, Ruan Transportation; Barkely Park Jr., UPS Freight; Amanda Pearson, Pottle's Transportation LLC; Andrew Petrofsky, J&M Tank Lines; Terrance (Terry) Pump, CRST Expedited; Whitney Massengill Stokes, Big M Transportation; Ryan Walpole, Walpole Inc.

2019-2020 LEAD ATA class: Fausto Bizzarri, FedEx Ground; Nick Card, Combined Transport; Mezzalina Dejongh, Trimac Trans   portation; Matt Erim, Amazon; Andrew Erin, PGT Trucking Inc.; Brian Falter, YRC Worldwide; Nate Graglia, Wallport Transit Xpress Inc.; James Jaggers, United Parcel Service; Jake Newman; Newman Carriers Inc.; Michael Shipman, Vertical Alliance Group; Kailey Spangenberg, Conversion Interactive Agency; Brett Wilburn, Total Transportation of Mississippi.

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