Service Transport, Lacy’s Express collect 2021 North American safety championships

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—Service Transport Company president Wade Harrison told everyone that he was honored just to be mentioned among some of the finest companies in the tank truck industry leading up to the North American Safety Awards luncheon during National Tank Truck Carriers’ 2022 Annual Conference.

The truth came out on stage at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

“To be honest with you, I lied to them,” Harrison quipped, only half joking. “I really wanted to win this thing.”

His wish was granted Tuesday.

Service Transport, a Houston-based subsidiary of Adams Resources & Energy, was one of two for-hire tank truck carriers crowned as 2021 North American safety champions, claiming the coveted Heil Trophy in the Harvison division, which spotlights carriers whose trucks traveled more than 15 million miles last year. Pedricktown, N.J.-based Lacy’s Express prevailed in the Sutherland division for carriers who covered 15 million miles or less.

“Honored and humbled is the best way to describe us right now,” Harrison said. “Hats off to our safety management team, Susan (Melchiorre, Adams’ vice president of EH&S) and Bill (Hartt, Service Transport safety director). They have the most thankless job in our business because, in the safety arena, they rarely get good phone calls.

“Nobody calls and says, ‘Hey, good job.’ It’s always that bad phone call they get—and yet they keep answering the phone.”

Harrison, who was named Service Transport president in January 2020, previously spent nearly nine years with eight-time champion Groendyke, where he was part of the Enid, Okla.-based carrier’s efforts to win the Heil Trophy in 2016 and 2018, when he joined Service Transport as VP of sales. He brought the magic with him, helping his new company secure its first trophy.

NTTC’s longest-running safety contest annually recognizes North American for-hire and private tank truck fleets with elite safety programs and records. Members first compete for Grand, Honor, and Merit awards in 10 mileage classes, and Grand Award winners move on to vie for the Outstanding Performance Trophy in two divisions.

“We are delighted that Service Transport earned the industry’s highest safety award for 2022,” said Kevin J. Roycraft, Adams’ CEO. “Wade and his team have done an amazing job over the last couple of years taking performance to the highest levels. The entire Adams team congratulates everyone at Service Transport for being recognized as being the best in what they do—day in and day out—in terms of safely serving the needs of customers.”

Winners are determined by their safety records, safety and preventive maintenance programs, personnel safety programs and record, and contributions to tank truck industry and general highway safety causes. Service Transport snared its trophy with a frequency of .358 accidents per million miles in the 18.5-31.5-million-mile class of the Competitive Safety Contest. Lacy’s posted a .000 accident frequency in the less-than-3.5-million-miles class.

“Safety is at the heart of everything we do in our industry,” said Ryan Streblow, NTTC president and CEO. “And the North American Safety Awards are the premier showcase to celebrate and recognize the companies and individuals who produce tangible safety results in their operations.”

Ryan Rockafellow, CEO of Engineered Transportation International, the parent company of Heil Trailer, revealed the winners.

Harrison thanked his safety and operations teams, along with the company’s back-office staff, human resources department—and, of course, its professional drivers. “It’s truly an honor to work with some of the finest drivers in the industry,” he said. “These drivers have a tough job out there, and it’s getting tougher by the day. The things I see in my personal vehicle, that other folks on the road are doing while driving 50 to 75 mph down the highway, are truly baffling, and they’re dealing with it 11 hours a day, six days a week.”

See also: Innovation, diversification helping Service Transport

Lacy’s owner and president William H. Ferrell, Jr.—whose company celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary in 2018—called winning the championship a humbling experience after years of collecting Grand Awards.

“I’ve been chasing this award for 25 years,” Ferrell said.

 “So it means a lot to us. My thanks go out to our drivers, mechanics, and everybody else on staff. They put in a lot of hard work for us.”

The other 2021 finalists included for-hire carriers Trimac Transportation (.243 accident frequency), Oakley Transport (.204), Slay Transportation (.133), and Atlantic Bulk Carrier (.063); and private fleets Pilot Travel Centers (.425), CLI Transport (.230), and SWTO (.457) in the Harvison division; and for-hire carriers Harmac Transportation (.000), Wynne Transport Service (.000), Dixon Bros. (.150), Weaver Bros. (.000), J&S Transport (.000), Quick-Way (.000), Transmark (.000), and Ventura Transfer Company (.000); and private fleets Casey’s Services Company (.381), LSP Transport (.000), and Poolsure (.000) in the Sutherland division.

Suttles Truck Leasing (Harvison) and LSP (Sutherland)—the first private-fleet winner—were the 2020 safety champions.

Other recent Heil Trophy winners include:

• 2014: Tidewater Transit, Harvison; Wynne Transport, Sutherland
• 2015: Miller Transporters, Harvison; Carbon Express, Sutherland
• 2016: Groendyke Transport, Harvison; GLS Transport, Sutherland
• 2017: Gemini Motor Transport, Harvison; G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation, Sutherland
• 2018: Groendyke Transport, Harvison; Tandet Logistics, Sutherland
• 2019: Trimac Transportation, Harvison; G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation, Sutherland

The 2021 safety contest judges were David Heller (Truckload Carriers Association), Robyn Kinsley (The Chlorine Institute), Daniel Horvath (American Trucking Associations), and Sarah Reboli (National Propane Gas Association).

NTTC also revealed the Grand, Honor, and Merit winners of its 2021 Personnel Safety Contest—determined by lost-time injuries per hour in each mileage class—and recognized the carriers and fleets who improved their safety records from 2020 to 2021.

2021 Personnel Safety Contest winners:

• Over 90 million miles—Grand: Dana Transport (.883 incident frequency rate), Honor: Pilot Travel Centers (1.24), Merit: Quality Carriers (1.27)
• 40-90 million miles—Grand: Transwood Carriers (.682), Honor: Groendyke Transport (1.52), Merit: Oakley Transport (2.13)
• 31.5-40 million miles—Grand: Dupré Logistics (.626), Honor: Slay Transportation (.695), Merit: J&M Tank Lines (.750)
• 18.5-31.5 million miles—Grand: CLI Transport (1.08), Honor: United Petroleum Transports (1.27), Merit: Action Resources (1.91)
• 15-18.5 million miles—Grand: Trandet Group TLI, TDI, CTI (.000), Honor: Atlantic Bulk Carrier (.675), Merit: HazMat Environmental Group (1.42)
• 12.5-15 million miles—No qualifying carriers
• 7-12.5 million miles—Grand: G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation (.000) and Casey’s Services Company (.000), Honor: Wynne Transport Service (.735), Merit: CTI Bulk (.763)
• 5-7 million miles—Grand: Dixon Bros. (.533), Honor: LSP Transport (.789), Merit: K-Limited Carrier (.912)
• 3.5-5 million miles—Grand: Dibble Trucking (.000), Honor: Frontier Transport, NA (.989), Merit: Liquid Cargo (1.08)
• Less than 3.5 million miles—Grand: Iowa Tanklines (.000), Transmark (.000), and J&S Transport Co. (.000), Honor: MBH Trucking (1.54), Merit: Poolsure (2.45)

Improved Competitive Safety Contest carriers and fleets:

• All Chem Transport
• Andrew Logistics Texas
• Atlantic Bulk Carrier
• Casey’s Services Company
• CLI Transport
• CTI Bulk
• Dana Transport
• Dibble Trucking
• Dixon Bros.
• Eagle Transport
• Ee-Jay Motor Transports
• Ergon Trucking
• Florida Rock & Tank Lines
• Frontier Transport, NA
• G&D Trucking/Hoffman Transportation
• Gemini Motor Transport
• Harmac Transportation
• Iowa Tanklines
• Island Transportation
• J&M Tank Lines
• J&S Transport Co.
• K-Limited Carrier
• Lacy’s Express
• Linden Bulk Transportation
• LSP Transport
• Oakley Transport
• Poolsure
• Quick-Way
• Reed Hurst Trucking
• Service Transport Company
• Slay Transportation
• SWTO
• Tandet Group TLI, TDI, CTI
• Transmark
• Trimac Transportation Services
• Ventura Transfer Company
• Weaver Bros.
• Wynne Transport Service

NTTC previously revealed the 2021 for-hire carrier Honor and Merit Award winners.

For-hire carrier Honor Award winners:

• 90 million miles or more: Quality Carriers
• 40-90 million miles: Groendyke Transport           
• 31.5-40 million miles: Andrews Logistics Texas LP              
• 18.5-31.5 million miles: Action Resources             
• 15-18.5 million miles: Tandet Group TLI, TDI, CTI
• 12.5-15 million miles: No qualifying carrier          
• 7-12.5 million miles: G&D Trucking/ Hoffman Transportation
• 5-7 million miles: K-Limited Carrier
• 3.5-5 million miles: Reed Hurst Trucking
• 3.5 million miles or less: Iowa Tanklines

For-hire carrier Merit Award winners:

• 90 million miles or more: Gemini Motor Transport           
• 40-90 million miles: Eagle Transport       
• 31.5-40 million miles: J&M Tank Lines    
• 18.5-31.5 million miles: Grammer Logistics
• 15-18.5 million miles: HazMat Environmental Group       
• 12.5-15 million miles: No qualifying carrier           
• 7-12.5 million miles: Custom Commodities Transport      
• 5-7 million miles: Newman Carriers         
• 3.5-5 million miles: Dibble Trucking
• 3.5 million miles or less: Ee-Jay Motor Transports