Rodney Owen (right), vice president of operations for Conestoga Transport, accepts the 'Grand Champion Trophy'.

KNOXVILLE — Conestoga Transport, a trucking company based in Knoxville, Tennessee, claimed the “Grand Champion Trophy” for its safety record at the Tennessee Trucking Association’s annual convention in September.

Rodney Owen, vice president of operations for Conestoga Transport, accepted the award for the company at the 2014 statewide convention, which was held in Destin, Florida. Conestoga earned the highest honor with the "2014 Grand Champion Trophy" and also was awarded first place for safety in the category for carriers with 3 million miles and under.

“Conestoga is honored to be recognized by the Tennessee Trucking Association because our number one goal is safety, and this award recognizes the hard work and expertise of each and every one of our drivers,” Owen said. “Safe transportation must be our top priority because we share the highways with the motoring public, we must transport goods and materials in a timely manner, and we want our drivers to return home safely each day.”

The trucking association selected the fleet safety award recipients based on safety record data submitted for 2013, including miles traveled and number of accidents. The annual awards are open to trucking companies of all sizes, and Conestoga won in the 0-3 million miles category and also was honored as the overall winner.

Owen, who resides in and originally is from Farragut, served five years in the U.S. Navy and then worked for a trucking company for two years before starting Conestoga in 2009 with one truck and a driver. Five years later, Conestoga employs 40 people and each month hauls 10 million gallons of gasoline, diesel and ethanol products across Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and Western North Carolina.

“This award requires teamwork and a company-wide commitment to safety,” Owen said. “We are grateful and humbled to be recognized by our peers for our dedication all year long, and we thank and celebrate our drivers for their superior service and dedication to safety, consistency and professionalism as we help support the American economy.”

The company’s drivers, who live throughout the state, include Knoxville residents Dan Hale, Paul Irwin, Terry Broadwater, Roy Wise, Charles Kitts, Mike Clayton, Nathan Partin, Carter Chambers, Paul Eads and Paul Bunch.

Published October 8, 2014