NPTC Presents Private Fleet Leadership Awards

Arlington, VA – The National Private Truck Council (NPTC) recognized six executives for their impressive contributions to the private fleet community during the group’s Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition held April 18-20, 2010 in Cincinnati.

Since 1990, the Private Fleet Professional Leadership Awards, co-sponsored by Heavy Duty Trucking/Newport Communications, have recognized those individuals who have made significant contributions to the National Private Truck Council, their profession, and the private trucking community.

The Private Fleet Executive of the Year, NPTC's highest individual award, went to George Hunter, Director of Logistics for Oldcastle/Bonsal American. Hunter is responsible for private fleet and dedicated fleet operations nationwide. He began his distinguished career in transportation with Georgia Pacific in 1966 as a load planner/dispatcher and was promoted into positions of increasing responsibility until being named Director of Transportation and Logistics for the packaging division in 1994. Five years later he was named Plant Manager for the Sheboygan, WI Corrugated Operations, Georgia-Pacific Corporation. In 2001, he was named Vice President, Fleet Operations, Unisource Worldwide, Inc., where he served until 2007. After a brief stint as a transportation consultant, he assumed his current job two years ago. Hunter’s leadership and contributions were a driving force in the early days of NPTC, immediately following the merger of its two predecessor organizations. He has been an instructor at the Private Fleet Management Institute and a frequent presenter at the annual NPTC conference.

The Private Fleet Safety Professional of the Year Award went to Martha Bertrand, Transportation Manager for Spartan Stores Inc. She began her career with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals in the Export Division. After a move back to Michigan, she worked for Inacomp Computers, ATEC Environmental, and, in 1994 she joined Leaseway Logistics. She then went to work for Meijer Logistics in Lansing, MI, where she managed more than 240 drivers, 11 management team members, more than 100 tractors and 1,600 trailers. She joined Spartan in 2007 and is responsible for more than 60 drivers, 30 tractors, and 100 trailers serving 229 stores. Bertrand has extensive training in Department of Transportation supervision, Federal Regulations, Hazardous Materials and the Smith System. She has been an active member of the NPTC Safety Committee, heading up the subcommittee on the Best Practices Safety Guide and working on the development of the National Driver All-Stars program. In fact, one of her drivers, Joseph A. White, III, a driver for Spartan Stores, Inc., was one of 12 private fleet drivers named in last year’s inaugural National Driver All-Star class.

The Private Fleet Member of the Year Award was presented to Dan Norris, CTP, Fleet Operations Manager for the Pepsi Beverages Company in the Atlantic Region. He works with fleet managers and fleet mechanics responsible for maintaining 7,000 assets from Virginia to Maine. Norris started as Fleet Mechanic with PBG in 1983 and has since served on numerous company committees that include the five-person Vehicle Spec Team responsible for working with National Suppliers on all spec’s and purchases for the company’s 30,000 assets. He also works with a group of employees to improve mechanic training, recruiting, retention and compensation for the company’s fleet mechanics. Norris has served on the NPTC Board of Directors, the NPTC Institute Board of Governors, as well as a frequent speaker at the Private Fleet Management Institute, the NPTC National Safety Conference, and the NPTC Annual Conference. In addition, he continues to re-invest his time by serving on the NPTC Annual Conference Planning Committee and working on the development and administration of the CTP examination

This year’s Allied Member of the Year Award went Dave Helge, CTP, Vice President of Maintenance and Safety for Idealease of North America. His association with Idealease dates to 1989 when he began consulting with Harco National Insurance providing loss control and insurance auditing services. He joined Idealease in 2006 as Director of Idealsafe. Previously, Helge spent 20 years in transportation safety as a consultant and safety director. For the past 10 years, Helge has been the lead presenter for the Idealease/NPTC Safety seminars. He is also an active member of the NPTC Institute Board of Governors and the NPTC Safety Committee and is a frequent speaker at NPTC conferences and seminars.

The NPTC Membership Development Award honored Gayle Robertson co-president of BOLT Systems. Robertson is co-founder of BOLT, the leading Internet-based dispatch / fleet management system focusing on private fleets. Prior to BOLT, she held senior and executive positions with IBM selling computer-based solutions to Fortune 100 companies. She was consistently recognized for understanding customers’ needs and leading teams to provide matching solutions. She has been active member of the Membership Committee, where she has implemented many successful membership recruiting strategies, as well as the NPTC Annual Conference Planning Committee and the NPTC PR/Marketing Committee.

Finally, Thomas R. Stedman, formerly of Walgreen’s Oshkosh, received the Daniel P. Smith Life Achievement Award. This award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant leadership contributions to NPTC in helping advance the goals and objectives of the Council and whose personal traits of honor, integrity, tenacity, and devotion to duty in making these contributions serve as an exemplary model for future NPTC-member private fleet professionals.

Stedman attended his first Private Carrier Conference meeting in Minneapolis in 1976 when Walgreens won an honorable mention in the fleet design contest. The following year he was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors. He served on the first Board of Directors of the National Private Truck Council following the merger of the two predecessor groups and, in 1990 was voted as the second president of the group (the position has since been changed to Chair).

His career in private carrier operations started in 1963 with a summer job as a freight handler at Montgomery Wards’ private fleet. He worked six weeks on the dock before being promoted to a traffic clerk. For the next 13 years, he was promoted to positions of increasing responsibilities within Montgomery Wards, including City Dispatcher, Road Dispatcher, Field Supervisor, Operations Supervisor, Outbound Traffic Manager, and finally National Freight Damage and Loss Prevention Manager. He joined Walgreens in 1974 as Manager of Fleet Operations. In 1978, he was promoted to Director of Corporate Transportation and named Vice President of Walgreen Oshkosh, Inc. in 1980 when the company formed its wholly owned trucking subsidiary.

About NPTC
Founded in 1939, the National Private Truck Council is the only national trade association exclusively representing the interests of the private truck industry and corporate/business private truck fleet management. NPTC is the premier marketplace of information, networking and skill building for private fleet professionals as it leads in shaping the future of corporate transportation.

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