Finalists named for annual tank truck driver award

National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) recently named eight tank truck drivers as finalists in the selection process to become the recipient of the Usher Trophy recognizing the industry’s professional tank truck driver of the year.

The trophy is named for William A. Usher, Sr. of Louisville, Ky.-based Usher Transport Inc., for his extensive career in and service to the tank truck industry. NTTC member Baldwin & Lyons Inc. is the official sponsor of the Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year program.

The 2014-2015 Usher Trophy recipient will be announced in Boston at NTTC’s 67th Annual Conference & Exhibits on April 27. During the one-year term, the Grand Champion will serve as the NTTC spokesperson for the industry and will attend many NTTC events. The Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year program furthers the NTTC’s mission to champion safety and success in both the tank truck community and the people we serve.

Champions include the following professional drivers:

Champion Company Home
Olin Banks  Jr. Florida Rock & Tank Lines Inc. Albany, Ga.
Charles Carmin Ruan Transport Corporation Logansport, Ind.
William Scott Harrison K-Limited Carrier Ltd. Cincinnati
Rich Offord LCL Bulk Transport Elizabethtown, Pa.
Robert Stevens McKenzie Tank Lines Inc. Panama City, Fla.
John Thurman United Petroleum Transports Tulsa, Okla.
Donald Tomberlin Miller Transporters Inc. Surrency, Ga.
Bobby Weller Hahn Transportation Inc. Monrovia, Md.

The eight champions will now move on to the final round of the selection process, which will be held Jan. 30. A panel of industry officials will judge the contestants on their knowledge of the trucking industry, dedication to safety, ability to communicate the industry’s messages, and overall safe driving record.

“On behalf of the NTTC leadership team, I want to congratulate all of our applicants this year,” said Chairman Dean E. Kaplan, CEO of K-Limited Carriers, Toledo, Ohio. “The caliber of the entire group was just incredible and our eight champion finalists represent some of the finest professionals out there on our nation’s highways. As a group, the finalists stand as the epitome of the NTTC’s mission to champion safety and success in our industry.”

For 70 years, the National Tank Truck Carriers Inc. has represented the tank truck industry before Congress and various Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, OSHA, and others. The association also serves as an industry resource to carriers, shippers, regulators, the news media, the financial community and the general public.