ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge are seeking nominations for this year’s Best Fleets To Drive For program.

The annual contest and survey is now in its ninth year and recognizes fleets who have extraordinary workplaces. Nominations must come from professional truck drivers and can be made online at BestFleetsToDriveFor.com. The nomination period is open between September 6 and October 31, 2016.

Once a company accepts the nomination and agrees to participate, CarriersEdge will contact them for more details through an electronic questionnaire and telephone interview. They will speak with senior management and a random sampling of the company’s drivers to learn more about the company’s compensation, safety practices, benefits, equipment, training, etc. Ultimately, the survey answers reveal the innovations that have proven successful in attracting and retaining skilled personnel in the trucking industry.

According to Jane Jazrawy, chief executive officer of CarriersEdge, “This year, in addition to our usual questions, we’re going to be asking fleets about how much time their drivers spend on the road, whether they provide guaranteed pay and paid waiting time, and what in-cab amenities they offer. We’ll also get into the topic of diversity, asking what fleets are doing to bring a more diverse driver pool to the industry. For the first time, this will have its own scored section.”

John Lyboldt, TCA’s president, added: “Through our questions to the nominated fleets, we will unearth and publicize the most popular benefits and perks that are being implemented right now. These are the things that are keeping current drivers happy, while enticing potential new drivers to join our industry.”

To be eligible, a for-hire fleet must have 10 or more trucks and operate in the US or Canada. TCA membership is not required. The top 20 finishers will be identified as Best Fleets to Drive For and will be announced in January 2017. From this pool, companies will then be divided into both “small” and “large” categories, and two overall winners will be recognized March 26-29, 2017, at the TCA Annual Convention in Nashville, Tenn.

To view best practices from last year’s survey as well as profiles of the overall winners, visit BestFleetsToDriveFor.com.