INDIANAPOLIS, April 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indiana Motor Truck Association awarded Celadon Trucking Services with the 2017 Fleet Safety Award as part of its annual Safety and Maintenance Council Awards banquet Saturday, Mar. 31.

Recipients of the Fleet Safety Awards are determined based on the fleet's overall accident frequency within Indiana. Celadon won the top designation in the over-the-road division for the 20- to 25-million-mile category.

Celadon overhauled its safety incentive program last June to further encourage safe driver performance. Drivers earn points each quarter based on their safety record and can redeem those points for tangible rewards such as vacations, electronics, and household appliances.

The safety incentive program change has been instrumental in maturing and reinforcing the safety-focused mindset of the company.

"This award goes a long way to validate the efforts of our Safety Department," said Tom Burck, the vice president of safety at Celadon. "The recognition will also help drive many of the initiatives that we are trying to accomplish in the coming years."

Celadon's safety team plans to implement additional programs through 2018 to include employing full-time safety staff at outside terminals and reinstating monetary rewards for drivers who have clean roadside inspections.

2018 strategies also include installing collision mitigation technology in trucks, which is a result of the long-term search for enhanced driver coaching programs.

"We're currently in the final comparison phase between two systems," said Brandon Cain, director of safety at Celadon. "After the pilot test is complete, we'll evaluate the results and begin installation across our fleet."

Coupled with those strategies, Celadon will also continue its focused approach to safety through driver training and communication. The safety and training departments frequently communicate with the active fleet via email, in-cab messages and blog entries to reinforce their message.

As a result of these efforts, Celadon has experienced decreased safety violations and accidents in the past 6 months. This includes one-third fewer backing and turning accidents as well as a 36 percent decrease in moving violations.

Celadon Group, Inc. (www.celadongroup.com), through its subsidiaries, provides long-haul, regional, local, dedicated, intermodal, temperature-controlled and expedited freight service across the United States, Canada and Mexico.  The company also operates Celadon Logistics Services, which provides freight brokerage services, freight management, as well as supply chain management solutions, including warehousing and distribution.

For more information:
Whitney Boyer
Vice President, Marketing
(317) 972-7000 x23065
wboyer@celadontrucking.com

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SOURCE Celadon