TCA names Dart contractor “Independent Contractor of the Year
Carroll Benn nation’s top owner-operator Eagan,
Minnesota – When Carroll Benn stepped into a truck 35 years
ago to deliver his first load as a professional
truck driver, he had absolutely no clue where that step would
take him. His only thought was bringing home a paycheck for his
young family. On March 16, the road that Carroll began traveling in
1969 led him half way across the Pacific Ocean to Kona, Hawaii, to
a podium in a banquet hall filled with the owners and executives of
America’s largest trucking companies.
As Carroll walked to the podium, the audience rose to its feet to honor him as the Truckload Carriers Association’s “Independent Contractor of the Year” for 2003. As the award winner, Mr. Benn will receive a new International tractor built to his exact specifications, plus additional prizes worth many thousands of dollars. Because of the large prize that goes to the Independent Contractor of the Year, many people consider the TCA award the nation’s highest honor for professional truck drivers.
A native of Center, Missouri, Mr. Benn has an amazing
driving record with over 3 million accident-free miles. He has
contracted with
Dart Transit Company as an independent
owner-operator for the last 18 years. He has won every safety award
that Dart offers, and he was honored as Dart Contractor of the
Month in 1991 and Dart Contractor of the Year in 1997. He has
driven enough accident-free miles to take his tractor/trailer to
the moon and back six times. His driving, of course, was not in the
emptiness of space, but on crowded highways and under adverse
driving conditions.
“Carroll Benn is an amazing professional driver,” says Gary Randall, Vice President of Operations at Dart. “He not only has driven 35 years without an accident, he also has a perfect service record here at Dart. According to our records, he’s never been late, never had a cargo claim or a customer complaint. Our customers love him because of his courtesy and helpfulness.”
Mr. Randall had the privilege earlier this year of notifying Carroll that he had won the TCA contest. “I called Carroll on his cell phone and asked him if he was driving. He was parked at a customer’s dock, so I told him that he had won. All he said was, ‘I gotta go! I’ve got to call Shirley. She’s not going to believe it!’ And he was off the phone, just like that.”
Carroll was right. “I went hysterical when he told me,” Shirley said. “I couldn’t believe it!” Carroll and Shirley have been married 45 years, and the two have a very close relationship. Shirley has been Carroll’s biggest supporter during his driving career, and encouraged him to purchase his own tractor more than 20 years ago. Now that their children are grown, Shirley often rides along with Carroll in the truck. They operate in Dart’s Northern Region, which covers the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to us before,” Carroll says with a grin that spreads from ear to ear. “We’re just ordinary folks from Missouri, and I haven’t done anything special. All I’ve ever tried to do is my best.” In some ways, truck driving has meant sacrifices for the Benn family, especially when Carroll has missed family events. But his career was a family decision. Carroll was able to provide a better income so the family could live in the small town they loved. “Living in a small town, driving a truck is the best way I can provide for my family,” Carroll says. “As an owner-operator at Dart, I’ve made a good living for my family, and I have the freedom to schedule my time at home and operate my business as I see fit.” He gets home more often now than he could years ago, thanks to the way Dart’s Northern Regional dispatching system works.
Carroll is the fifth Dart contractor to win the award in the last 7 years, and the sixth in the last 14 years. “That says a lot about how good Dart contractors are,” says Gary Randall. “I don’t think there’s another company out there that can say anything like that. That’s a phenomenal measure of success in the trucking industry.
The other day, someone asked me if Dart contractors are so successful because Dart is the best carrier, or is Dart the best because our contractors are so successful? They’re both true. Our contractors make Dart an outstanding carrier, and Dart creates the positive business environment where professional drivers can be successful independent business owners. That is an important reason why contractors like Carroll Benn stay with Dart so many years.
Dart is one of America’s oldest trucking companies, celebrating it’s 70th anniversary in 2004. The Truckload Carriers Association is a 66-year-old trade association, with member companies operating approximately 250,000 trucks.
