VTA Safety Management Council Page
Highway safety is of paramount importance to the members of the Virginia Trucking Association because running a safe trucking operation makes good business sense. The VTA Staff works closely with every agency that is associated with highway travel, safety and security.
Safety professionals in the trucking industry wear many hats. Driver safety and education, human resource management, enforcement issues, local, state and federal regulations, just to name a few, keep today’s truck safety professionals very busy. Staying current on these requirements is a continuing challenge. The VTA’s Safety Management Council is composed of safety professionals from trucking operations from all over Virginia. The Council’s mission is:
- To promote cooperative efforts for increased safety and efficiency in the field of motor carrier transportation through meetings, discussions and committee research;
- To develop and promote safety and personnel standards or codes;
- To foster a positive public image of the trucking industry; and
- To provide education and a forum for the exchange of ideas and information among its members.
The VTA Safety Management Council’s programs and activities include:
Virginia Trucking Driving Championship - The Council plans and manages the annual Virginia Truck Driving Championship. This competitive event tests the safety knowledge and skills of professional truck drivers, with the winners going on to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the National Truck Driving Championships.
Truck Fleet Safety Awards Program – The safety awards program provides recognition for those fleets, drivers and safety professionals who have achieved outstanding safety records and make significant contributions to improving truck and highway safety in the Commonwealth. Awards are given for the Virginia Truck Driver of the Year, the Safety Professional of the Year, and in various carrier and mileage categories. The crown jewel of this program is the Grand Trophy for Fleet Safety, which is given to the fleet judged to have the best overall safety program in Virginia during the previous year.
Safety Management Conference – This annual conference offers a unique opportunity for truck safety professionals to network and learn valuable information and ideas about how to improve safety in your company. The conference has a different theme every year with a program packed with speakers on relevant and informative topics that cover important issues in safety, security and human resources. The highlight of the Conference is the presentation of the annual safety awards.
Quarterly Meetings – Each quarter, the Council meets and hears guest speakers that provide up-to-date information on the very latest innovations in truck safety, technology, proposed and finalized federal and state regulations, and a wide variety of other timely subjects.
Rest Area Safety Breaks – This program brings truck safety professionals and the motoring public together to promote a partnership for sharing the road safely. These safety breaks demonstrate the trucking industry’s concern with safety for all highway users and improves the industry’s public image. Council members along with Federal and State Agency representatives spend a day, several times a year, at one of Virginia’s rest areas distributing coffee, water, soft drinks and snacks; and sharing the road literature as well as discussing truck/highway safety concerns, safety belt usage, impaired driving, child occupant restraints, and rules and regulations.
Cooperative Road Patrol Program - This program is an effort to regulate and improve the behavior of truck drivers on the highway. Patrol members are provided with forms which they fill out when they witness a truck driver speeding or driving improperly. Members also recognize commendable driving. Each report is recorded by the VTA’s director of Safety and forwarded to the safety director of the driver’s company for possible disciplinary or complimentary action.
Driver Report Card - As an industry, we care very much about highway safety and want to know how truck drivers are performing in Virginia. Through the Driver Report Card feature on our web site, the public can report their experiences (good or bad) with truck drivers on Virginia’s roads. Reports are then forwarded to the safety director of the driver’s company for possible disciplinary or complimentary action.
Share The Road/No-Zone Campaign - VTA members conduct No-Zone demonstrations at various locations throughout the state including county fairs, sporting events and local high schools, to illustrate to young drivers the visibility limitations of commercial vehicles. Tractor-trailer combination vehicles have extremely large blind spots in which the driver cannot see traffic around him. These areas, identified as No-Zones, present danger to passenger vehicles that choose to hang out there. No-Zone demonstrations allow the public the chance to tour a tractor/trailer combination vehicle, sit in the driver's seat, and see what the driver sees. A 10-minute video presentation helps explain the safest way to maneuver around larger vehicles, and explains other limitations these vehicles have that make them harder to stop and steer.
Highway Watch® Virginia - Just as neighbors work to keep their neighborhood safe, trained Highway Watch® professionals work to keep our highways safe. The Virginia Trucking Association is proud to serve as the functioning administrator for this valuable program in Virginia. Highway Watch® is an exclusive volunteer organization of America's best and safest truck drivers that gives truck drivers the training, expertise, and support they need to make America’s Roadways safer and more secure for everyone. Highway Watch® is designed to achieve the following:
- Reduce the number of highway accidents, serious injuries, and deaths
- Reduce police and public safety response time to highway emergencies
- Identify unsafe drivers, drunken driving, and road rage
- Summon help for stranded motorists
- Alert transportation authorities and the public-at-large to hazardous or changing road conditions
- Enhance safety and security at rest stops
- Coordinate with other safety initiatives, government officials, and individuals who also care about public safety
- Provide drivers with an opportunity to become active participants in an accident prevention program and forge important safety alliances
- Provide anti-terrorism security training. It is widely believed that the next terrorist attack will be with the use of a commercial motor vehicle. Anything an individual and this industry can do to prevent this is worth learning about and acting upon.
Click here or e-mail rbolton@vatrucking.org to request Highway Watch® training materials.