Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/675322
28 | Overdrive | May 2016 O wner-op- erators are fortunate if they have even one good partner. Edward Mark Tricco is doubly blessed: He's leased to a feet whose many awards include "Best Fleet to Drive For," and he's married to an accountant who's well- versed in the nooks and cran- nies of Canada's tax code. With that support plus a work ethic honed in many driving jobs prior to leasing with Bison Transport in Winnipeg, Canada, Tricco, 57, won the 2015 Owner-Oper- ator of the Year competition run by the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive. He won a $25,000 prize made possible by contest sponsors Cummins and Love's Travel Stops. Bison Safety Director Garth Pitzel says Tricco's record of 4.3 million acci- dent-free miles (2.6 million of them at Bison) "doesn't happen by luck. That hap- pens by Mark making all the right decisions every day and conducting himself as the true professional that he is. We wish we had one thou- sand more of him." In turn, Tricco appreciates how Bison manages its 750 owner-operators and 1,100 company drivers. One big asset is how the company minimizes fatigued driving by having what it calls a "right to decide" policy that allows drivers to stop when they feel weather, fatigue or personal circumstances merit it. "Say you have the fl u, or for whatever reason call home and a family member is sick, and you need a couple of hours to get your thoughts together," Tricco says. "They have no problem with that as long as we contact the offi ce. They will not force us to move." It seems like the policy would create problems with time-critical shipments, but Tricco says he hasn't seen that happen. "Bison has good rap- port with their customers," he says. "When they go for a contract, they say this is how we operate." Pitzel confi rms that the practice isn't just lip service. "Our president was at a conference with carriers and Mark Tricco and his wife, Melody, enjoyed an expense-paid trip to the Truckload Carriers Association's annual meeting at the luxurious Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, where Tricco was named 2015 Owner-Operator of the Year. HELPING HANDS Owner-Operator of the Year benefi ts from two strong partners and makes a habit of looking out for others. BY MAX HEINE Max Heine