For Immediate Release
PMTC & AVIVA AWARD PRIVATE FLEETS FOR SAFETY PERFORMANCE
The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada and Aviva Canada announced awards for Canadian Private Fleet Safety as part of the PMTC’s annual conference on June 19th in Niagara Falls, On.
The competition is open to all Canadian private carriers, and membership in the PMTC is not a requirement. Judging is conducted by an independent panel and follows established criteria with a focus on the company’s overall safety regime and it’s over the road record.
The 2024 award winners are:
Mid-Sized Fleet, under 75 Power Units: John Deere Canada ULC.
Large Fleet, 75 and over Power Units: Giant Tiger
“The members of the PMTC appreciate the support of Aviva for these private fleet safety awards. The awards are a tangible sign of the commitment of Aviva and the PMTC to truck safety, a commitment that has been part of the PMTC’s mandate since our inception in 1977.
“The process of applying for one of these awards provides a checklist for fleet managers to see what the best in class fleets are doing to maintain their safety programs. Even if you do not believe you will win an award, there is an immense benefit to going through the process of entering”, said PMTC President Mike Millian.
“Along with Aviva, we at the PMTC congratulate the management and drivers of these fleets,” Millian went on to say. “The efforts of everyone involved with these fleets, and many others in the PMTC membership, points to their desire to keep road safety foremost in their operations. All of the 2024 award winners and applicants deserve our congratulations.”
Millian also expressed the PMTC’s appreciation to Aviva for making these awards possible, saying that “Aviva is an example of a company that promotes and supports the safe operation of truck fleets – we, along with the trucking community, appreciate their involvement and support.”
Additional information on award winners follows.
Additional information contact:
Private Motor Truck Council of Canada Tel: 905-827-0587
225 Main Street East Fax: 905-827-8212
Milton, Ontario. L9T 1N9 website: www.pmtc.ca
email: info@pmtc.ca
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John Deere Canada ULC
John Deere has operated its private fleet in Canada for 47 years. It consists of 67 power units and 230 trailers running 11.5 million kilometers in 2023.
The fleet distributes agricultural parts throughout Canada and the United States. They are C-TPAT, CSA, and FAST approved.
The fleet personnel includes 77 employees, and their 72 drivers are supplied by CPC Logistics Canada. As an eleven-time winner of the Private Fleet Safety award, John Deere has demonstrated a strong commitment to safety in its operations.
The company has a written safety policy that is updated annually. Prior experience, education, and reference checks all factor into the hiring process.
Potential new hires for driving positions are preferred to have 3 years of verifiable driving experience, are required to submit current driver and CVOR abstracts, provide a current criminal record check, undergo a pre-employment medical, drug and alcohol screening, and must pass a written and road test.
New hires receive 2 days of in-house training on company procedures, product handling, and safety practices. Drivers are trained and certified on TDG, HOS, and CSA regulations and participate in quarterly safety meetings. John Deere also uses Electronic Logs and utilizes EOBR’s to monitor its driver’s compliance with speed limits & other safe driving practices, & each driver’s performance is monitored with an individual scorecard with comparisons to others in the fleet.
John Deere conducts a full investigation into every incident involving the fleet, including written reports, interviews and remedial training where required.
Monthly supervisory and management safety meetings are held, as well as quarterly driver meetings.
The company also offers a broad-based safety related awards program for the drivers, which includes tracking performance on HOS, fuel consumption, over speed, sudden stops and on time performance, which can result in performance bonuses. This program has been strongly embraced by the drivers and has resulted in significant performance improvements.
All of this effort pays dividends as the John Deere fleet has an incredible CVOR violation rate of only 3.36% and an accident ratio of .17 accidents per million km’s.
Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger has operated its private fleet in Canada for 37 years. Giant Tigers team consists of 256 fleet related employees, of which 205 are drivers. The Fleet consists of 178 Tractors, 4 straight trucks, 3 light commercial vehicles 633 trailers, and operated over 21.4 million km’s in 2023.
Giant Tiger is a Canadian owned discount store that was opened in 1961, and now has over 260 locations and 10,000 team members across Canada, with its fleet in operation since 1987. Each Giant Tiger store is locally owned & actively involved in their community.
Giant Tiger has a safety policy that is reviewed annually, or sooner if new locations open or when operating or legislative changes occur. New drivers must be a minimum of 25 years of age, submit their drivers abstract as well as their commercial vehicle abstract, and have no more than 2 demerit points to be considered for hire. Criminal record and reference checks are also done, as well as a three hour road test that is graded on a tablet using a scoring system. Once hired, each driver goes through a minimum 50 hour on-boarding program, which is extended if the driver trainer feels it is required. Training includes company policy, health & safety, product handling, defensive & fuel efficient driving, WHMIS, HOS, trip inspections, annual winter driving refresher training, sleep management, electric pallet jack, among other topics. Each driver must also pass a self-assessment at the beginning of each shift as per the “Fit for Work policy”. The fleet is equipped with telematics on all trucks that track hours of service, speed, sudden stops and fuel mileage. Carriers Edge modules are used for annual refresher training & supplement biannual in person safety meetings & other regular refresher training as needed or required. Annual ride alongs are also completed with all drivers with Giant Tigers in house trainers.
Giant Tiger provides its staff with regular safety bulletins as needed to provide relevant information, tips & resources to enhance awareness. Drivers are also communicated with through mobile applications, such as email, Microsoft Teams & messaging apps, as well as Geo Tab, to ensure drivers receive relevant information in a safe & timely manner.
All incidents are reviewed by a Joint Health and Safety Committee as well as an incident review team comprised of the hiring manager, safety manager, fleet manager & a senior driver. If an incident is found to be at fault, in class and in cab training is conducted.
The team has a million mile club that showcases all drivers in the club in their lounges across the country, & each driver is supplied with a leather jacket. In addition, drivers receive a bonus for all clean level one, two or three inspections.
Giant Tigers’ level of commitment clearly is getting results, as their accident to incident ratio is .18 accidents per 1 million km’s with a CVOR violation rate of 8.90. This is even more impressive when you consider the fleet has increased its driver count from 20 to over 200 in the last six years.
