ABF captures national security award

Fort Smith-based ABF Freight System has been recognized by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) for exceptional security practices — earning the 2011 Excellence in Security Award from the ATA Supply Chain Security and Loss Prevention Council.

The award was presented at the Supply Chain Security and Law Enforcement Conference at the Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Oct. 4-5, 2011. Including the inaugural award in 2001, ABF has earned the Excellence in Security Award six of the 11 times it has been awarded.

“ABF’s industry-leading security and cargo care record, recognized by this council and by certifications such as C-TPAT, FAST and PIP, give ABF customers a significant supply chain advantage,” said ABF President and CEO Wes Kemp, referring to certifications from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canada Border Services Agency. “Earning this prestigious award is further evidence that ABF is fully committed to maintaining that supply chain advantage for our customers. We believe our customers deserve safe, secure and error-free service, which comes from the training, experience and responsiveness of dedicated and empowered ABF employees.”

The ABF security program includes regional security managers strategically located throughout North America. The security managers have law enforcement backgrounds and work closely with ABF management and local, state and federal authorities and regulators.

“Protecting our customers’ freight and company assets and the safety and security of our employees are ABF priorities,” said Sam Cates, ABF safety and security director. “ABF security procedures and guidelines are formulated as a guide for all employees—from upper management to touch labor—so they have the knowledge to conform to ABF security requirements. This has positioned ABF as the premiere carrier when it comes to delivering shipments safely and securely.”

The ATA Supply Chain Security and Loss Prevention Council is an organization of transportation security, freight claims and loss prevention professionals representing motor carriers and interested organizations. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the U.S.

Besides being the only six-time winner of the Excellence in Security Award, ABF also is the only six-time winner of the ATA President’s Trophy for Safety and the only four-time winner of the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award. Plus, ABF is the only carrier to earn both the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award and the Excellence in Security Award in the same year, which ABF has accomplished twice.