ELIGIBILITY AND RULES
The Maine Motor Transport Fleet Safety Awards is intended to honor the safest motor carrier members.
ELIGIBILITY
To participate in the MMTA’s Fleet Safety Awards, you must comply with the following:
- Your company must be a MMTA member in good standing at the time.
- Your trucking company must operate in Maine.
- You must agree to have pertinent records audited by MMTA staff or an independent, objective auditor of MMTA’s choosing (see details under Phase II Verification and Auditing).
SELECTION
Companies submitting applications for the Safety Awards will be placed in one of the following categories according to the miles traveled:
Group 1 …………………. Up to 1,000,000 miles
Group 2 …………………. 1,000,001 – 4,000,000 miles
Group 3 ………………… 4,000,001 – 9,000,000 miles
Group 4 ………………… More than 9,000,000 miles
Once the companies have been assigned to the proper group, the top three companies in each group will be selected to compete for the Grand Champion Awards. All companies that are selected to continue will be presented a plaque (1st-3rd place in each group).
Two (2) Grand Champion Awards will be presented at the Annual Banquet. One award will be presented to those within Groups 1-2 and the other will be presented to those within Groups 3-4.
PHASE I Entry Application Submission
Deadline: September 3, 2021
All mileage and recordable accidents are for the time period between July 1 and June 30 of current year.
All divisions and/or subsidiary companies are to be included with the parent company’s application unless the division(s) and/or company(ies) are also separate and distinct members of the MMTA.
Phase one requires you to complete the Fleet Safety Award Application and Entry Form and send it with the required supporting documents via mail or online form. The information must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 3rd. The application is to include all company and contact information, the accident and mileage information. The application should contain all accidents regardless of fault. (See note below). Submission of the application acknowledges that all information is correct to the best of the individual’s knowledge and that you agree to all obligations and awards program rules.
CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE PHASE I SUBMISSION
Information required for Phase I:
- Application Form.
- Copies of IFTA reports for period of July 1, 2020 to June 30th 2021.
- Members who do not file IFTA or are part of a larger non-resident fleet, may provide internal mileage reports in lieu of IFTA.
- Copy of accident register for 2020 and 2021 through June 30th.
- Copies of official crash reports for any crash the carrier has deemed non-preventable, i.e. there is nothing the driver or carrier could have done that would have prevented the crash.
- Any evidence the carrier wishes to submit that helps with preventability determination. This could include photos, videos, or witness statements.
The U.S. DOT Recordable Accident is defined as follows:
An “accident” required by DOT to be recorded is defined in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 390.5 as: An occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle operating on a highway in interstate or intrastate commerce (as defined in 390.5) that results in:
(1) A fatality;
(2) Bodily injury to a person who, as a result of the injury, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene of the accident; or
(3) One or more motor vehicles incurring disabling damage as a result of the accident, requiring the motor vehicle(s) to be transported away from the scene by a tow truck or other motor vehicle.
The term “accident”, as defined in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 390.5, does not include:
(1) An occurrence involving only boarding and alighting from a stationary motor vehicle; or
(2) An occurrence involving only the loading or unloading of cargo.
Based on each company’s entry, MMTA will notify the top three companies of each of the four groups with the best Accident Frequency Ratio (number of accidents divided by the miles traveled) based on miles traveled during the reporting period (see application form for group sizes). Up to twelve companies will be invited to participate in Phase II Verification and Auditing.
Note: If a company feels as though an accident or a number of accidents should not be considered in their Accident Frequency Ratio due to clear and convincing evidence that shows the absence of fault on the part of the company or their driver, they may provide the auditor with additional information. Such information shall include, but is not limited to, the police report of the accident in question, any report by the insurance company accepting liability for any portion of the accident, as well as any other evidence that may be pertinent. The auditor will only subtract an accident from the Accident Frequency Ratio if there is no question as to the fault of the accident – any uncertainty at all in this regard will necessitate the accident’s full consideration in the Ratio.
PHASE II Verification and Auditing
If you are selected to participate in Phase II, it is highly recommended that you begin Phase III – the Grand Champion Entry ‑ right away to allow plenty of time. The deadline for the Grand Champion Entry is October 9, 2021.
The individual conducting the audit will contact the top three companies of each group to set up a date and time to meet at the company to verify and audit the following information:
1. The mileage that should be used is from July 1 through June 30 of the current year. Visiting auditors will simply review the total mileage and verify that mileage against the total mileage on your entry form.
2. The number of DOT recordable accidents will be verified by comparing the company’s accident register as required by Section 390.15 (b) of the FMCSRs with a copy of a recent Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) report that has been run subsequent to June 30 covering accidents between July 1 through June 30 of the current year. The Company Safety Profile (CSP) report is to be provided by the applicant and can be ordered at https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CSP_Order.asp.
Should an auditor determine that an error was made in accurately completing the entry form, he/she will notify the appropriate representative of the Maine Motor Transport Association. Should that entry be disqualified, the next best entry will be selected and placed in line for one of three plaques in the respective group.
A Word About Confidentiality
The auditor assigned to verify your entry will schedule the audit with the person submitting the entry. Auditors will not copy or distribute any information obtained during the auditing process. When verifying mileage and/or accident data, the auditor will be prohibited from photocopying or reproducing any information obtained during the audit and is only there to verify the data supplied on the entry form.
Based on successfully completing Phase II, companies will be invited to participate in Phase III Grand Champion Entry. We highly recommend you start Phase III before the invitation to participate to allow yourself plenty of time.
PHASE III Grand Champion Entry
Deadline: November 12, 2021
The Grand Champion Award is the highest safety honor presented to a member of the Maine Motor Transport Association. Each year, MMTA will recognize two carriers judged to have the most outstanding safety record and safety program. Carriers with annual mileage of 4 million miles or less will compete for one Grand Champion Award, while carriers with annual mileage over 4 million miles will compete for a separate Grand Champion Award.
How To Prepare Your Entry
The phase III submission process is designed for the motor carrier to highlight information in each of the following areas, in bullet format. The only two sections that may be in narrative form are page 1 and page 8, the introductory statement and the summary.
Any entry not following these rules will be disqualified.
Cover Page
a.) Company name
b.) Address
c.) Telephone number
d.) Email address
e.) Name, signature and title of the person submitting the entry
f.) The entry must also contain the name, signature and title of company executive, president or owner with his or her verification that all information contained in the entry is true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge, information, and belief.
Page 1 Introductory statement describing motor carriers safety philosophy/culture (Narrative Form)
Page 2 Hiring process (bullet list)
Page 3 Orientation program (bullet list)
Page 4 In-service training for drivers, fleet and safety personnel (bullet list)
Page 5 Process of supervising drivers (bullet list)
Page 6 Inspection and Maintenance of Fleet (bullet list)
Page 7 Accident investigation process (bullet list)
Page 8 Summarize what sets your safety program apart from other motor carriers. (Narrative Form)
Judging will be based on thoroughness of programs and policies. Especially important are company efforts to exceed minimum state and federal safety requirements.
Return Grand Champion Entries To:
By E-mail (preferred): makala@mmta.com
Maine Motor Transport Association
Attn: Fleet Safety Award
PO Box 857
Augusta, ME 04332-0857
PLEASE NOTE: except for cover page, entries must have all references to the company and specific personnel redacted prior to submission to ensure anonymity with the impartial judges.